International Day of Friendship (which is recognized on social media as #FriendshipDay) falls on July 30. While on the surface, this may seem like one of those “fake” holidays you often see, there’s actually some history behind it.
According to Days of the Year, International Day of Friendship got its start as a “Hallmark Holiday.” Yes, the holiday does date back to the greeting card giant in 1919. The purpose of the holiday? To send your best friends a greeting card telling them how much you appreciate them and their friendship.
While the holiday’s popularity faded by 1940, it was resurrected in 1998 by the United Nations, who named the iconic children’s book character Winnie the Pooh as the Ambassador of Friendship. Years later in April 2011, the United Nations officially declared that July 30 would be recognized as International Day of Friendship.
In its official declaration, the United Nation encouraged people all over the world 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.”
Some of Our Favorite Best Friends
As with any holiday, a little celebration is in order. One way we’re going to celebrate is by recognizing some of our favorite best friends from film and TV.
Among the best friend duos we immediately think of are Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan from the Bill & Ted trilogy. What an iconic pair! Let’s face it: If your friend’s dad threatened military school if you two flunked your history class, you’d travel through time to pull out all the stops to keep your friend at your school, too! It was also nice to see that their friendship went the distance decades after the world was introduced to them.
Another pair of besties we immediately think of is Cory Matthes and Shawn Hunter from Boy Meets World. Few friendships are as beloved as Cory and Shawn. Boy Meets World fans saw them grow up from middle school to college and all of the ups and downs that come with those years. Like Bill and Ted, there’s just something special about a friendship that dates back to your teen years. Those friends really saw the good, the bad and the ugly of you coming of age.
Here are more of our favorite best friends from film and TV in honor of International Day of Friendship. Enjoy!
