Día del Amigo
Encyclopedia
Día del Amigo is a celebration of friendship, held annually on July 20 in South America
n countries Argentina
and Uruguay
and on July 30 on Paraguay
.
The initiative to establish an internationally recognized Friendship Day had a historical antecedent called Global crusade of friendship, which was a campaign made to provide value and enhance the friendship between human beings, so that a Culture of Peace is fostered. It was designed by Dr. Ramón Artemio Bracho in Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, in 1958. From this idea, July 30 was set as Friendship Day. In Paraguay, the eve of July 30 is utilized for giving gifts to close friends and loved ones, and celebrations are very common in bars, nightclubs or dinners with close friends. It is also considered traditional the game of the "Invisible Friend" in which small pieces of paper, in which the names of all members of a group are written, are given to all the members of the group, each one selects one piece of paper (in secret) and he gives a present to the person with the name on the paper the day 30. This custom is practiced in Asuncion and other cities of Paraguay, in schools and workplaces.
Then, came the idea for Friend's Day from Argentine teacher, musician, and dentist Enrique Febbraro, who lobbied to turn the anniversary of the first moon landing
into an international day of friendship, along with his Rotary Club de Once, Buenos Aires. He argued that on this particular day, the whole world had been friends of the three astronauts
. The first official recognition of the day came with decree No. 235/79 by the government of Buenos Aires Province
, which authorized the celebration and gave it official nature.
, the gatherings tend to happen during the evening.
Friend's Day has in recent years turned into a very popular mass phenomenon. In 2005, the amount of well-wishing friends led to a temporary breakdown of the mobile phone
network in the cities of Buenos Aires
, Mendoza
, Córdoba and Rosario
, comparable to the one experienced in 2004 on Christmas
and New Year's Day
.
Seats in most restaurants, bars and other establishments are already completely booked a week before the celebration.
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n countries Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and on July 30 on Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
.
History
During the twentieth century, there were several initiatives for the celebration of Friendship Day in different parts of the world. In the United States and parts of Asia, the first Sunday of August was reported as the date of delivery of greetings and presents to friends, and similar celebrations were formed in different countries of South America and Europe at different times. In countries like Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay, Friend's Day is deeply rooted in society.The initiative to establish an internationally recognized Friendship Day had a historical antecedent called Global crusade of friendship, which was a campaign made to provide value and enhance the friendship between human beings, so that a Culture of Peace is fostered. It was designed by Dr. Ramón Artemio Bracho in Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, in 1958. From this idea, July 30 was set as Friendship Day. In Paraguay, the eve of July 30 is utilized for giving gifts to close friends and loved ones, and celebrations are very common in bars, nightclubs or dinners with close friends. It is also considered traditional the game of the "Invisible Friend" in which small pieces of paper, in which the names of all members of a group are written, are given to all the members of the group, each one selects one piece of paper (in secret) and he gives a present to the person with the name on the paper the day 30. This custom is practiced in Asuncion and other cities of Paraguay, in schools and workplaces.
Then, came the idea for Friend's Day from Argentine teacher, musician, and dentist Enrique Febbraro, who lobbied to turn the anniversary of the first moon landing
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
into an international day of friendship, along with his Rotary Club de Once, Buenos Aires. He argued that on this particular day, the whole world had been friends of the three astronauts
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
. The first official recognition of the day came with decree No. 235/79 by the government of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, which authorized the celebration and gave it official nature.
Argentina
In Argentina, Friend's Day is often a good excuse for a common friendly gathering, though people also employ the day to get in contact with old and seldom-met friends and greet them. Since it is not a public holiday in ArgentinaPublic holidays in Argentina
The following are the National public holidays and other observances of Argentina.Though holidays of many faiths are respected, public holidays usually include most Catholic holidays...
, the gatherings tend to happen during the evening.
Friend's Day has in recent years turned into a very popular mass phenomenon. In 2005, the amount of well-wishing friends led to a temporary breakdown of the mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
network in the cities of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
, Córdoba and Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, comparable to the one experienced in 2004 on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
.
Seats in most restaurants, bars and other establishments are already completely booked a week before the celebration.