Today I got up really early because I had a lot to do. I wanted to write and send letters to my friends. I could do it any other day, but I really want to treat my friends a little bit more today - It's International Friendship Day!
While I was going to the post office I had to think about Joyce Hall, the founder of famous Hallmark greetings cards, who originally promoted Friendship Day. Even though he had a nice idea, he intended it more like a commercial gimmick. According to his plan it should be a day on which people celebrate their friendship by sending a cards to each other. Even the date wasn't chosen casually - August 2 is the centre of the largest gap between holiday celebrations.

The rediscovery of the idea for an official holiday came up again in the year 1958 in Paraguay, where the World Friendship Crusade was formed . They lobbied at the United Nations for many years to recognize July 30 as World Friendship Day and finally in 2011 the International Day of Friendship was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly, with the idea that friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

And guess who was named as the world's Ambassador of Friendship by the United Nations? Nane Annan, Kofi Annan's wife, chose Winnie the Pooh!