National Friendship Day-7th August
Written by Sneh Chaudhry on August 7, 2022
Friendship provides a foundation and a ballast upon which humans can rely in this ever changing world. National Friendship Day offers an ideal opportunity and reminder to show appreciation and affection toward friends.
History of National Friendship Day
Starting out more than 100 years ago as simply a way to encourage people to send a card to friends to show that they care, National Friendship Day has morphed and evolved over the past century.
Less than a decade after the Hallmark Card Company was started in 1910, founder Joyce Hall was working to find creative ways to encourage people to send more greeting cards. Friendship Day began as one of these ideas in 1919, to add to other days like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Sweetest Day. By 1922, the idea was brought to the Greeting Card Association and it became more widespread.
By 1935, the United States Congress followed suit, making National Friendship Day the first Sunday of August. Though the popularity of National Friendship Day fizzled out a bit in the United States in the 1940s, perhaps related to global events, it seems to have been making a comeback in recent decades.
In fact, in 2011, the United Nations began its recognition of the International Day of Friendship, which runs along the same vein and is set to be celebrated a few days sooner than National Friendship Day.
No matter how it began or where it has gone along the way, the idea for a day of friendship is meant to recognize and appreciate the bond of friendship between humans. A shared spirit of solidarity is vital when facing the pressures of the world today.
Deepening bonds of trust and camaraderie among people, young and old, can help to provide stability and safety that help to make the world a better place. And National Friendship Day is the perfect way to get started!
