It is true that friendship should be celebrated every day, but there is a special date on the calendar, known worldwide as the International Friendship Day. In Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, the date is celebrated on the day July 20th, despite the United Nations General Assembly's suggestion that all member countries celebrate the International Day of Friendship, or Friend Day, on the day July 30th (It is noteworthy that there is no distinction between Friend's Day and International Friendship Day).
Read too: January 1st - World Day of Peace
How did International Friendship Day come about?
The choice of the date was promoted by the Paraguayan physician Ramón Artemio Bracho, founder of the Crusada Mundial da Amizada, founder of the World Friendship Crusade, campaign aimed at spreading the culture of peace by emphasizing the importance of good coexistence between peoples. Every July 30th, the doctor urged Paraguayans to meet to carry out various activities social and cultural, with the purpose of offering mutual help, thus strengthening the values of the friendship.
What is celebrated on International Friendship Day?
During the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly of United Nations, held on April 27, 2011, Friendship Day was recognized as a important date, especially for the disclosure of“Culture of peace and non-violence”. The Assembly culminated in the creation of a document signed by the participating countries, including Brazil, in which the relevance and pertinence of the following topics was reaffirmed:
→ The importance of friendship as a worthy and noble feeling in the lives of human beings around the world;
→ The awareness that friendship between peoples, countries and cultures, as well as individual friendships, can inspire the creation of bridges between communities, thus celebrating cultural diversity;
→ The affirmation that friendship can contribute to the efforts of the international community, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, for the promotion of dialogue between civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation;
→ The importance of involving young people and future leaders in community activities aimed at inclusion and respect among different cultures, as well as for the promotion of international understanding in accordance with the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace.
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Friendship, like love, is given for free and sown to the wind, as the poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade used to say. So, always be with friends and make the date count every day!
See too: June 12 — Valentine's Day
text about friendship
friend is something to keep
under seven keys
inside the heart
So spoke the song I heard in America
But whoever sang cried
Seeing your friend leave
But who stayed, thought flew
With your singing that the other remembered
And whoever flew, in thought was
With the memory that the other sang
friend is something to keep
on the left side of the chest
Even if time and distance say "no"
even forgetting the song
what matters is listening
the voice that comes from the heart
For whatever comes, whatever comes
Any day, friend, I'll be back
Until find
Someday, friend, we'll meet.
(Song of America. Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brant. Lp Sentinel, 1980)
THE song of america, composed by Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brant, is considered a hymn to friendship. It is difficult for those who do not know the song, which translates into verses one of the most beautiful feelings.
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PEREZ, Luana Castro Alves. "International Friendship Day"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-amigo.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
