Friendship Day (also known as the International Friendship Day or Friend's Day) is a day in several countries for celebrating friendship. It was initially promoted by the greeting card industry; evidence from social networking sites shows a revival of interest in Friendship Day that may have grown with the spread of the internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Mobile phones, digital communication, and social media have contributed to popularize the custom. Those who promote the day in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends to have originated in the United States in 1935.BetterHelp logo. Please visit www.betterhelp.com/accessible to view the accessible version of our site.
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Friendship Day: A Guide To Celebrating The Bond Of Friendship
Medically reviewed by
April Justice, LICSW
Updated July 29, 2023
by BetterHelp Editorial Team
Friendships are special relationships that can offer both parties support, joy, affection, and companionship that can promote positivity in their lives. International Friendship Day (also known as national friend day or national friends day) is a holiday designed to encourage people to honor and appreciate their current and old friends. The International Day of Friendship takes place on July 30 each year, and there are many different ways you can celebrate. Let’s take a look at a few ideas.
Why Is International Friendship Day Celebrated?
Two friends are walking outside, arm in arm, with shopping bags on their arms; they are looking at each other and smiling.
Getty/Luis Alvarez
Celebrate The Bond Of Friendship This Friendship Day.
Expand The Bond With Your Friend
International Friendship Day or World Friendship Day was founded officially in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly. Per their website, it’s centered on “the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities”.
Prior to 2011 the day had been celebrated informally for decades. Most notably, on International Friendship Day in 1997 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan named Winnie the Pooh the world’s ambassador of friendship. Outside of the UN there are other friendship holidays, the World Friendship Crusade, based as a national holiday in Paraguay, also uses the July 30th date to celebrate. While the International Friendship Day date is the 30th of July, some regional communities also celebrate on the first Sunday in August (or on August 7th), although many celebrate on Saturday as well.
Friendships can help expose people to others who are different from them so both parties can learn from each other, and they can help build strong communities too. Quality friendships can also provide us with the crucial social support that we all need for our well-being. For example, one study found that those who say they have “people they can count on in times of trouble” are “consistently more likely to be satisfied with their personal health”. The study also points out the many potential negative health effects of loneliness, which include high blood pressure, heart disease, a weakened immune system, and depression, among others.
Different Types Of Friendships
Friendships can be incredibly diverse. They may take many forms, and can transcend age gaps, gender, religion, culture, distance, and even language barriers.
Friendships involve a mutual understanding and shared spirit of solidarity and may develop because two people have much in common, or because they have little in common. Friends may see each other daily or even live together, while others may go years without being in the same place—and friends that originally met online may never meet up in person. Considering some of the many different types of friendships that can be formed may help you appreciate the diversity of your own social connections or encourage you to build more, broader friendships. Some common types of friendships include the following.
Childhood Friendships
Childhood friendships are built during one’s formative years, typically with peers of the same or a similar age. These connections are often founded on having the same experiences, such as school or extracurriculars. Friendships can be a healthy part of childhood and adolescence, as they offer young people opportunities to build important relationship skills and to connect with others outside of their families who understand what they’re going through at their age. Some people maintain their childhood friendships throughout their lives and become old friends, while others naturally lose touch with these friends over time after going in different life directions.
Adult Friendships
Making friends as an adult can seem more difficult than making friends as a child. Busy schedules can make it harder to find time to spend together, meaning that these friendships typically take more intentionality and effort than childhood ones did. Additionally, adults are often more set in their personality traits and interests, whereas children are still figuring themselves out and may click more naturally with more potential new friends. However, having friends you can lean on throughout the challenges of adult life can be just as important as in any other stage, and these friendships can be meaningful whether they last months, decades, or a lifetime.
Family Friendships
Some people also find friendship within their own families. It’s not uncommon for siblings or cousins to become close friends, for instance, and parents and adult children may transition into healthy friendships over time, too. Having the same life experiences and long history is common among families, which can be the foundation for a strong, friendly bond.
Online Friendships
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