International Day of Friendship, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011, is observed on 31 July every year.
The UN began observing the special day of friendship in various parts of the world, following the proposal made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
International Friendship Day 2015: Best SMS, Messages, Greetings to Share with Your Best Friends
As part of the day, the UN encourages governments and various groups to organise activities and events to promote unity, mutual understanding and reunions in the society.
The day also marks the importance of friendship as a noble and valuable sentiment in the society.
In its official document published in 2011, the UN general assembly "invites all Member States, organisations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organisations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organisations and individuals, to observe the International Day of Friendship 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."
Check out some famous quotes that shows the importance of friendship:
"Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest...It's about who came, and never left your side..." –Unknown
"A true friend sees the first tear...catches the second...and stops the third." – Angelique
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." – Walter Winchell
"Don't Walk in front of me. I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend." – Albert Camus
"Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success." -- Oscar Wilde
"If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them, I'd be at the bottom to catch them." –Unknown
"A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more." – Unknown
"It takes a long time to grow an old friend." – John Leonard
"Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you." – Elbert Hubard
"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." – Abraham Lincoln
"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit." – Aristotle
