Friendship Day being celebrated

Desk Report: Friends are for life and a true friend is hard to find. The essence of true friendship never leaves the soul and Friendship Day celebrates exactly that.

The first Sunday of August dedicated to the eternal bond of trust and love and people celebrate the day by exchanging gifts, cards and flowers with the special person.

Friendship Day is enthusiastically being celebrated every year by many countries.

The traditional celebrations include meeting with friends and exchanging of cards, flowers and gifts. Many social and cultural organizations also celebrate Friendship Day by hosting programmes and get togethers. Special performances by rock bands are also organized in countries like the US to enhance the jubilations.

The tradition of celebrating Friendship Day began in 1935 when the US Congress decided to dedicate a day in the honor of friends. Though it is not known exactly what were the reasons that went into the making of this day, the retrospection of the world scenario of those times can lead us to an understanding.

With the devastating effects of the First World War still showing and increasing hostilities, mistrust and hatred between countries providing the perfect conditions for another imminent battle, there was a greater need for friendship and camaraderie not only among nations but also among individuals.

Hence, the US Congress decided to designate the first Sunday of the month of August as Friendship Day and with a formal proclamation in 1935, officially declared the occasion a holiday dedicated in the honour of friends and friendship. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event. The lofty idea of honoring the beautiful relationship of friendship caught on with the people, particularly the youngsters all over the country, and in no time Friendship Day became a highly popular festival.

But the success of this wonderful occasion was not to be limited to the US alone. With time, several other countries followed suit in adopting the tradition of dedicating a day to the cause of friendship. The beautiful idea of having a day in the honor of friends was joyously taken over by several other countries across the world. With more and more nations joining in the celebrations, Friendship Day soon became International Friendship Day.

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/Aug 6, 2017/Nasim