Celebrating Friendship Day with Ancestry®

The world’s largest online family history resource - Start now

ANCESTRY^® BLOG

Ancestry Team

24 July 2024

Good times and great friends make the best memories. Friends and family can be with you through life’s ups and downs—to celebrate with you, to console you, and to share in adventures as well as everyday life. Friendships can even include the close relationships you’ve built with relatives like brothers, sisters, cousins, and other family members.

While some friendships last only a short time, others become lifelong connections. Research suggests that it’s fairly common for friendships to evolve into romances. That path could even be part of your family stories. Did your grandmother marry her brother’s best friend, for example?

Studies have also shown the value of strong, platonic friendships. They help people live longer and more meaningful lives. While the number of friendships does matter, what’s more important is the quality of friendships. According to a 2021 study, the average person has about two “close” friends.

Building and researching your family tree on Ancestry^® is one way to discover new connections and learn about past family members. You may just discover that close relationships within your ancestors’ community led to deeper, more formal connections—people now part of your family tree.

The Origin of Friendship Day

National Friendship Day in the United States can be traced back to the founder of Hallmark Greeting Cards, Joyce Clyde Hall. In 1919, he proposed the concept of celebrating friendships on a specific day, which would be designated as a holiday. The Greeting Card Association adopted the idea, and the first official Friendship Day took place on August 6, 1922.

While the concept began as a sales gimmick, the overall idea of formally honoring friendships has gained popularity around the world:

In 1935, the U.S. Congress proposed the first Sunday in August to celebrate friendships.
The World Friendship Crusade proposed the first World Friendship Day on July 30, 1958.
On August 5, 1997, the wife of the United Nations' Secretary-General, Nane Annan, declared Winnie the Pooh the world's Ambassador of Friendship.
The United Nations General Assembly officially recognized International Friendship Day on July 30, 2011, to promote peace between nations.

When Is Friendship Day?

Friendship Day occurs in many countries and on varying days. Countries that celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday in August include the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and India. This year, that date falls on August 4, 2024.

While many countries annually honor International Friendship Day on July 30th, others have their own dedicated day for the event. For example:

Argentina, Brazil, and Spain celebrate el Día del Amigo (or Dia da Amizade) every year on July 20th.
February 14th is also when Finland and Estonia celebrate Friendship Day, called Ystävän Päivä (in Finnish) and Sõbrapäev (in Estonian).
Bolivians have Día del Amigo on July 23rd.
In Columbia, the second Sunday in March is el Día del Amor y la Amistad.

May Festival, Friends Select School, Eleanor Leech, Betty Baker, 1920, Library of Congress

Celebrating Friendship Day Around the World

Many people celebrate the day by sending flowers, cards with friendship-related quotes, and gifts. Others might host a dinner party or movie marathon, take a day trip with best buddies, or engage in a group volunteer activity.

Here are a few country-specific traditions for celebrating the joys of friendships.

In Finland, friends and family gather to eat and participate in skating and sledding.
Friends in Argentina may celebrate the day by getting together for a barbeque, playing soccer, or going clubbing.
In Bolivia, friends exchange gifts and enjoy meals, drinks, singing, and dancing. Some places even hold Friendship Day parades.
Friendship Day customs in Paraguay involve Amigo Invisible, which is similar to Secret Santa in the United States. Friends and family secretly give gifts to one another.
South Koreans celebrate Friendship Day by cooking together or giving each other roses.

One common custom on Friendship Day has become the exchange of friendship bracelets. These range from colorful woven bracelets to those made with beads and charms. Friendship bracelets became part of popular culture in the U.S. starting in the 1970s.

How Ancestry^® Can Help You Honor Family Friendships

Another way to celebrate Friendship Day is to sit down with family members to discover more about your family’s history. Ancestry makes it easy to create a family tree together using the available templates. Start by entering information on known relatives, and then together you can look to fill in gaps using sources like census records and marriage records.

Explore your friendships and family connections with a free trial of Ancestry.

Sources

- https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/decades-of-research-shows-friends-make-you-happier-healthier-but-if-you-want-to-live-a-longer-life-theres-one-large-catch.html
- https://ideas.hallmark.com/articles/friends-ideas/friendship-day/
- https://www.un.org/en/observances/friendship-day
- https://www.spanish.academy/blog/how-they-celebrate-friendship-day-in-argentina/
- https://time.com/5778265/valentines-day-finland-estonia/
- https://www.daytours4u.com/en/travel-guide/daytours4u/friendship-day-expect-south-americans-become-friends/
- https://medium.com/@haruwrites21/friendship-day-around-the-world-how-different-cultures-celebrate-e56b43970cf4
- https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/06/cover-story-science-friendship
- https://troomi.com/unraveling-the-fascinating-history-of-friendship-bracelets/
- https://www.un.org/en/messengers-peace/winnie-pooh
- Image 1: https://www.loc.gov/item/2018707161/
- Image 2: https://www.loc.gov/resource/fsa.8d02885/
- Image 3: https://www.loc.gov/resource/npcc.01581/