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International Day of Friendship

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The importance of friends

Friends come in all shapes and sizes. They may be someone we met as a child, a
classmate at school, someone we met at work or through other friends. They may be
friends who live at a distance in another country or virtual friends we've made online.
Whoever they are, however we met them, there is a special connection based on a
shared history and interests, enjoying doing things together or simply talking and
understanding each other. Friends are there to help us at difficult times and to
celebrate the good times. Doctors say that friends are very important for both our
physical and mental health at all stages in life.

Declaring an international Friendship Day

But friends are not only important on an individual level. Friendship can also be
important on a global level. Friendships that cross borders can help bring peace and
avoid war. Learning to think of other people, people who are different from us, as our
friends helps us work together to build a culture of peace. That's why the UN declared
30 July as its official International Day of Friendship.

The origins of the day

An international celebration was first suggested by the World Friendship Crusade.
This organisation was founded by Dr Ramón Artemio Bracho and his friends in
Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, in 1958. They wanted to support the power of friendship
and its importance in creating a culture of peace. So, in the same year, they decided
to celebrate Friendship Week in Puerto Pinasco and other places in Paraguay. The
following year, they repeated the week and finished on 30 July, which they declared
as Friendship Day. From there, celebrations of friendship grew and spread across the
Americas, then the world, and eventually the UN declared an International Day of
Friendship in 2011.

Friendship Days around the world

The International Day of Friendship on 30 July is not the only day celebrating
friendship around the world. A number of countries, such as Paraguay, also celebrate
on 30 July, but other countries have different dates. For example, Argentina, Brazil
and Spain celebrate Friend's Day on 20 July, while in India and the US, they
celebrate it on the first Sunday in August. In Finland and Estonia, Friendship Day is
celebrated on the same day as Valentine's Day, 14 February.

What do people do on the International Day of

Friendship?
Wherever it's celebrated, the celebrations are very similar. Friends meet up to spend
time together. They may eat out or have a meal at home. They give each other small
gifts: books, flowers, simple jewellery such as a friendship band (a simple bracelet).
Some people send each other cards and greetings online. Whatever form the
celebration takes, the spirit is the same – to remember the importance of friends and
the power of friendship.

Source
https://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday

Task 1
MultipleChoice_MjM1MjI=

Task 2
Grouping_MjM1MjM=
Discussion
Do you agree that friends are important?

Download

Worksheet

Language level

B1 ­ Intermediate

Topics

special days family and friends

Give it 4/5

Average: 3.9 (8 votes)

Submitted by Nony123 on Sun, 18/09/2022 ­ 15:13

Permalink

It’s ecstatic paragraph!

I view point , The friendships is wonderful word and two body in one soul
that’s mean connection for each other in sad life or happy life . They
connect in life together that’s a good friend, ❤

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Submitted by nikoslado on Sat, 23/07/2022 ­ 16:34

Permalink

Following on from what I mentioned earlier, I'd like to add that the question
is about ''who first thought of declaring an international Friendship Day'', not
about ''who first suggested an international celebration''.I mean that only an
organization like the UN could ''declare an International Day''.
Anyway, this was rather another chance for me to try to express my greek
thoughts in English.
Many thanks again
Nikos

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Submitted by Kirk Moore on Sun, 24/07/2022 ­ 03:18

Permalink

Hi Nikos,

I see what you mean. Even though Artemio Bracho probably didn't think
about declaring it himself, I think it's reasonable to assume that he
thought about the day being declared as an international day. If this were
a comprehension question on an exam, I'd look into changing it, but since
it's a quick exercise to follow up on the text, I think it's OK as is.

Thanks, though, as always, for your helpful suggestions.

All the best,

Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

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 Submitted by nikoslado on Sat, 23/07/2022 ­ 10:16
Permalink

Dear Team,
congratulations for the interesting and important texts you chose in the
Magazine zone.
Please, could you check the right answer in Task 1,''Who first thought of
declaring an international Friendship Day?''.In the second and third
paragraphs, it says that the UN declared the specific International Day.
Thanks a lot
Nikos

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Submitted by meknini on Thu, 14/07/2022 ­ 09:42

Permalink

'Friends' carries a very broad definition that needs to be properly defined

individually as what is deemed as a friendship wouldn't fit another's.
Generally, most tend to group: peers, colleagues, officemates, co­workers,
neighbors and casually known persons, as friends while others are more
selective. I, for one, am quite restrictive in calling anyone as my friend since
a friendship to me should be a lifetime of shared tears and joys.

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Submitted by _AngryCupcake_ on Mon, 18/04/2022 ­ 21:09

Permalink

Before reading this blog I wasn't informed that actually there exists a day
dedicated to friendship. This fact made me so happy because my friends
play crucial role in may life, but I always felt that their importance was
underestimated in the eyes of the society.
I think that friendship is a reciprocal relationship where every person must
invest time, care and effort in order to receive the same thing. (But be
careful, it's not called friendship if you give a lot but don't get anything
careful, it's not called friendship if you give a lot but don't get anything
back). Nowadays it is often confused with a business deal, where you call
someone "friend" only while they can fulfill your interests and then, after a
short period of time, you disappear or maybe act like they never existed.
What can we do to change this? Well maybe make the International Day of
Friendship more popular and promote real life stories of successful
friendships, those who have resisted time and obstacles of life, those which
may serve as a role model and strengthen the hope that real friendships
still exist.

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Submitted by Rafaela1 on Fri, 30/07/2021 ­ 15:52

Permalink

"Whoever they are, however we met them, there is a special connection

based on a shared history and interests, enjoying doing things together or
simply talking and understanding each other. Friends are there to help us at
difficult times and to celebrate the good times." Unfortunately, a friend of
mine can never find a "best friend" because he plays both sides of the field
or he might just try to be everyone's pet. A good friendship cannot exist
without thinking by getting closer to others' feelings in others' shoes before
taking actions. Don't be spoiled!!!

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Submitted by PARIMALA MADIAZHAKAN on Tue, 27/07/2021 ­ 05:03

Permalink

Yes, I agreed that that friends are important to us. It's because sometimes
friends can be a stress buster and problem solvers in our life. We can share
our personal problems without any obstacles. Friends always support us in
any way and be a good motivator to succeed. They share our happiness
and sadness. We can be friends and make friends with our own family
members, neighbors, and cousins. Happy is the definition of a friendship.
Log in or register to post comments

Submitted by Thinthinmyoe on Mon, 05/07/2021 ­ 06:07

Permalink

Yeh,I absolutely agree that! Friends are very very important in our life.
Without any friends,I don't think we can be successful and solve many
problems along our life.We can say friends are the greatest gift of God.

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Submitted by Rafaela1 on Wed, 30/12/2020 ­ 13:17

Permalink

I have a friend in my mind. I talk to him everyday. He laughs at me

everyday. That's the way we talk with. ;)

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