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International Friendship Day is a day for celebrating friendship. The day has been celebrated in several southern South American
countries for many years, particularly in Paraguay, where the first World Friendship Day was proposed in 1958.
Initially created by the greeting card industry, evidence from social networking sites shows a revival of interest in the holiday
that may have grown with the spread of the Internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Digital communication modes
such as the Internet and mobile phones may be helping to popularize the custom, since greeting friends en masse is now easier than
before. Those who promote the holiday in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends to have
originated in the U.S. in 1935, but it actually dates from 1919. The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards and wrist
bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.
Friendship Day celebrations occur on different dates in different countries. The first World Friendship Day was proposed for 30
July 1958. On 27 April 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 30 July as official International Friendship Day.
However, some countries, including India celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August.