The first Sunday of August is International Friendship Day — recognised throughout the world as a day to honour friendships and the contribution they make to our lives. School mates, colleagues, neighbours, siblings, partners — friendships come in many guises, but just how often do you show them how much you care?
Officially introduced in the United States in 1935, International Friendship Day has since become formally recognised by many other nations across the world. In Australia, it is seen as a time to reach out to friends, thank them for the role they play in our lives and show them how much they’re appreciated. So whether it’s a simple hug, a phone call, a card, present or a bunch of flowers… why not get in the spirit this International Friendship Day?
With the commerciality of other internationally recognised celebrations such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day, the lack of retail exploitation surrounding International Friendship Day remains somewhat of a mystery — especially as the holiday actually predates the official Father’s Day by 30 years (1966).
Nanci Tangeman, author of Forty Excuses to Get Together with the Girls is one person who strongly believes the day has gone unnoticed for far too long. “We’d never think of ignoring our mums and dads on their special days, so why shouldn’t we take this excuse to celebrate our friendships?”, she argues. Certainly for many people, friendships play just as big a role as family, so why shouldn’t this date in our calendars be shown more acknowledgement?
