20 interesting Fact About Friendship Day

1. Friendship Day was originally promoted by Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark cards in 1919, and intended on first sunday of august to be a day where people celebrated their friendship.
2. The idea of a World Friendship Day was first proposed on 20 July 1958 by Dr. Artemio Bracho during a dinner with friends in Puerto Pinasco, a town on the River Paraguay about 200 miles north of Asuncion,Paraguay.
3. On 27 April 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nation declared 30th July as official International Friendship Day.                                                                       
4. The day has been celebrated in several southern South American countries for many years, particularly in Paraguay, where the 30th July was first proposed as World Friendship Day in 1958.
5. Traditionally , the Day takes place on the first Sunday of August.But there is no specific date for friendship day celebration in some countries.
6. Initially created by the greeting cards industry, evidence from social networking sites shows a revival of interest in the holiday that may have grown with the spread of the Internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.
7. Those who promote the holiday in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends to have originated in the U.S. in 1935, but it actually dates from 1919.
8. The exchange of Friendship Day Gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.
9. In 1935, the United States Congress announced the first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day and declared it to be a holiday in honor of friends.
10. Women's Friendship Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of September.
11. Best Friends Weekend is an occasion established by the Best Friends Animal Society. It is celebrated every year from June 23 - June 25 to honor and protect the rights of animals. The first day of the weekend is called Best Friends' Day.
12. 'D del Amigo' (The Spanish Friend's Day) is a celebration of friendship, held annually on July 20, mainly in Argentina and Uruguay.                                                     
13. Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May.
14. The whole of February is designated as the International Friendship Month.
15. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie - the Pooh, the famous cartoon character as the world's Ambassador of Friendship.
16. The immortal song "With a Little Help from My Friends" by Beatles, that deals with the theme of friendship, was released in 1967.
17. In some countries, the Friendship Day celebrations take place on the first Sunday of August, and several Friendship Day celebrations on other dates are held by a range of countries.
18. A popular custom include giving pink and yellow roses to your friends who’ve been there when you needed them.
19. Social and cultural organization too celebrates the occasion and mark Friendship Day by hosting programmes and get togethers.
20. The Bible, the primary text of the western civilization, reflects upon friendship as the bond that forms the foundation to human faith, trust and companionship.

In the famous Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’, Lord Krishna demonstrates the many colors of friendship - affection, romance, brotherhood, protection, guidance, intimacy and even teasing.