When is International Friendship Day Celebrated?
International Friendship Day celebrations take place on the first Sunday of August Or August 3rd of every year. The tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends began in US in 1935. Gradually the festival gained popularity and today Friendship Day is celebrated in a large number of countries. Best friends day is celebrated June 8 and is a different holiday. On this day people spend time with their friends and express love for them. The exchange of Friendship Day Gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.
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History
The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed the first Sunday of August as National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event.
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.
In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship.
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How is this holiday celebrated?
Many friends wish each other with exchange of gifts and cards on this day. "Friendship bands" are very popular in India, Nepal, and parts of South America. With the advent of social networking sites, friendship day is also being celebrated online. The commercialization of the Friendship Day celebrations has led to some dismissing it as a "marketing gimmick".
Other traditions
Día del Amigo (Spanish: "Friend's Day"), a celebration of friendship, held annually on 20 July mainly in Argentina and Uruguay, but also in some other countries.
Dia do Amigo (Portuguese: "Friend's Day"), celebration happens on 18 April because on 20 July, they celebrate International Friendship Day. (Portuguese)
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Friendship and health
The conventional wisdom is that good friendships enhance an individual's sense of happiness and overall well-being. But a number of solid studies support the notion that strong social supports improve a woman’s prospects for good health and longevity. Conversely, it has been shown that loneliness and lack of social supports are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, viral infections, and cancer as well as higher mortality rates. Two female researchers have even termed friendship networks a “behavioral vaccine” that protects health and mental health.
3) Good friend enhance their friend’s coping skills in dealing with illness and other health problems; and/or
4) Good friends actually affect physiological pathways that are protective of health
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References
3. "Friendship Day" (in English). Noida, India: Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India. 2009.
4. Topher (2001-2010). "Winnie-the-Pooh FAQ". Melbourne, Australia: Topher's Castle. "To commemorate the 1997 event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Mrs. Nane Annan, wife of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, presented Winnie-the-Pooh with the honorary title, "Ambassador of Friendship.""
5. Raina, Shilpa (2009-08-01). "Friendship Day: Is it another marketing gimmick?". Toronto: South Asian Observer. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
We found recognition about this holiday from:
Calendar sites and personal Internet sites that blog and share information about this subject.
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While there is an impressive body of research linking friendship and health status, the precise reasons for this connection are still far from clear. Most of the studies are large prospective studies (that follow people over a period of time) and while there may be a correlation between the two variables (friendship and health status), researchers still don’t know if there is a cause-and-effect relationship, e.g. that good friendships actually improve health.
There are a number of theories that attempt to explain the link, including that: 1) Good friends encourage their friends to lead more healthy lifestyles; 2) Good friends encourage their friends to seek help and access services, when needed;
