Friendship Day 2021: Date, history, significance, and all you need to know

Friendship Day is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of August. It is a special occasion which celebrates the ties of friendship and precious bonds of togetherness between people.

This year, it is being celebrated on August 1 in India. It is also celebrated on July 30 in several other parts of the world.

History

Friendship Day was first celebrated in Paraguay in 1958 as International Friendship Day. It was started by one Joyce Hall, who was the founder of Hallmark Cards, in 1930. It was Hall's idea to mark a day on which people would celebrate their friendships.

The United Nations marked the honey-loving tubby bear Winnie the Pooh as the Ambassador of Friendship in 1988, and July 30 was designated as International Friendship Day in the 65th UN's session in 2011.

Significance

Friendship is one of the most blissful relationships a person shares with another person; the association works as a strength developer in an individual's life. The thing about friendship that sets it apart from all other relationships is that it is pure and divine, and surpasses barriers of race, colour, caste and creed.

Friendship plays a vital role, as the remarkable bond brings delight and sustenance in life, in the form of hope, happiness, and abundance. Though friendships cannot be summarised or celebrated by a day's observance, it is impetus enough to reach out to a pal with whom you may not have spoken in a long time, only to relive and rekindle the love and attachment.