As you may have noticed, in Paraguay there is no shortage of special “days” (days) to celebrate. To name just a few there´s the Youth Day (Youth), Secretary Day (Secretary), Children’s Day (Children), Teacher’s Day (Teachers), Women’s Day (Women) and even the totally separate Paraguayan Women’s Day (Paraguayan Women). This Friday, July 30th is the “Friendship Day” or “Friendship Day.” The Friendship Day was created in 1958 in Puerto Pinasco (a small town along the Paraguay River in the Presidente Hayes province) by Dr. Ramón Artemio Bracho. Along with a small group of friends Dr. Bracho founded the “World Friendship Crusade”. Their call for a celebration of friendship with an official “Día de la Amistad” quickly gained traction and is now celebrated (though on different dates) throughout Latin America. A photo exhibit on the World Friendship Crusade is currently on display in Shopping Villa Morra.
The bond of friendship is celebrated in many forms. Some people choose to call or send text messages to their friends while others enjoy participating in “invisible friend” gift exchanges (non-Christmas version of “secret Santa”). And many like to simply enjoy the company of friends by going out for tea or coffee at a local confectionery (women do this – men are more likely to go out for beers).
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my friends and blog readers for your support over the last two years. Your comments, questions, and suggestions have always been much appreciated and incredibly helpful! I am now entering the final stretch of preparing the guidebook manuscript and your support and friendship is more cherised than ever. Happy friendship Day!
