History of Friendship Day: First started as a commercial gimmick, now celebrated world over

Friends are special and it is this special bonding that calls for a celebration. While no true bonding has any reason to be celebrated as the fondness and attachment in itself is a celebration of a special relationship, Friendship Day is celebrated every year to recognize the spirit of this special feeling.

While International Friendship Day is celebrated the world over on August 1, in many countries including India and Bangladesh it is celebrated on the first Sunday of August and this year that first Sunday is on August 6.

Hallmark Card's founder came up with the Friendship Day idea

It was Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards who came up with the idea of Friendship Day in 1930. Even earlier there was a proposal of celebrating the friendship day in August by sending gifts or greeting cards and arranging cozy get-togethers. The National Association took this idea further and promoted it during the 1920s so that the celebration is taken in a healthy spirit.

But in those days it was simply looked down upon as a commercial gimmick to send gift items and greeting cards under the disguise of celebrating Friendship Day.

US Congress decided to celebrate Friendship Day

Later on, it was the US Congress that decided to celebrate a day to honour their friends in 1935. The First World War had created a devastating impact on the world and everyone was in a sad mood.

Many believe that was one reason why the decision to celebrate Friendship Day was made with the intention to dissolve the hatred, enmity, and mistrust that had developed in such gloomy circumstances.

It was a decision made to strengthen ties among allied countries and promote global friendship. And that is why the US Congress marked that the first Sunday of August every year will be celebrated as the official Friendship Day. The formal proclamation in this regard was made in 1935 and since then different countries started celebrating it.

In 2011, the United Nations passed a resolution that International Friendship Day will be celebrated on August 1 to forge a friendship bond between different countries irrespective of colour, ethnicity, religion, gender, and race.