Friendship Day 2007
Celebrate Friendship Day 2007 on August 5, Sunday
Human beings are social creatures and have always valued the importance of friends in their lives. To celebrate this noble feeling it was deemed fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. Accordingly,
first Sunday of August was declared as a holiday in US in honor of friends by a Proclamation made by US Congress in 1935. Since then, World Friendship Day is being celebrated every year on the first Sunday in the month of August.
This beautiful idea of celebrating Friendship Day was joyfully accepted by several other countries across the world. And today, many countries including India, celebrate the first Sunday of August as Friendship Day every year. Celebrating Friendship Day in a traditional manner, people meet their friends and exchange cards and flowers to honor their friends. Lot many social and cultural organization too celebrate the occasion and mark Friendship Day by hosting programs and get together.
It may be noted that some associations celebrate Friendship Day in an entirely different time of the year and with different customs. For instance,
- National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August.
- Women's Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in August
- International Friendship Month is February
- Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May
However, what is remarkably same is the idea behind the celebration of the day. Everywhere, people express love for their friends and cherish their presence in life.
Tribute to a Friend:
Friendship Day is celebrated in honor of friends who make our lives so special and help us give a meaningful direction to our lives. On Friendship Day people must pay sincerest tribute to friends, both old and new, and appreciate the important role played by them in shaping their lives.
Significance of Friends
True friendship is about putting your feet up and knowing that someone is there to bail you out when the world might walk out on you. Besides, as a support system in today's hectic world, friends are the most reliable sources for social, intellectual and creative stimulations.
In the present fast pace age of nuclear families where people have little time to spend with each other, friends have become indispensable. Then there are times when we find it tough to discuss matters with our family members or even with our spouse, it is on occasions such as these that friends come to our support. They guide us and become our pillar of strength when we need them most. And the best part is we don't really need to put things in words when communicating issues to our best friends. Most often friends understand us, just by looking at us or hearing our voice. This heart-to-heart bonding is what makes friendship so exclusive, setting it apart from all other relationships.
Significance of Friendship Day
At times we get so busy in our daily lives that we start taking our friends for granted. It is the annual celebration of Friendship Day that reminds us that we must cherish the presence of friends in our lives and acknowledge with love the important role they play in our lives. One must therefore celebrate friendship on Friendship Day to the fullest and let their friendship soar to newer heights.
History of Friendship Day in US Considering the valuable role friends play in our life it was deemed to fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event. The noble idea of honoring the beautiful relationship of friendship caught on with the people and soon Friendship Day became a hugely popular festival.
Following the popularity and success of Friendship Day in US, several other countries adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. Today, Friendship Day is enthusiastically celebrated by several countries across the world including India.
In 1997, the United Nations named
Winnie - the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship.
source: www.friendshipday.org