Today is International Friendship Day
In 1998, Winnie the Pooh was named the world’s Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations.
Today is International Friendship Day, and according to the Friendship Day declaration, people are invited to “observe this day in an appropriate manner, in accordance with the culture and other appropriate circumstances or customs of their local, national and regional communities, including through education and public awareness-raising activities”.
The day was originally founded by Hallmark in 1919, and was intended to be a day for people to celebrate their friendships by sending each other cards.
By 1940, the market for cards had dried up, and eventually the day died out completely.
But it’s not all bad news. In 1998, Winnie the Pooh was named the world’s Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations, and in April 2011 the United Nations officially recognised 30 July as International Friendship Day, although most countries celebrate it on the first Sunday of August.
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