There is a spirit of FRIENDSHIP on the Camino that makes special bonds between people.  A human connection that sometimes builds quickly and is deep and lasting or is meant for the time of the Camino and touches our hearts, minds and spirits in a special way that will remain with us no matter how often we see or connect with those that made our Camino unique and special. Wishing everyone a very Happy & Special Friendship Day!

Today is International Friendship Day – “Friendship Day was originally promoted by Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark cards in 1930, intended to be 2 August and a day when people celebrated their friendships by sending cards. The second of August was chosen as the centre of the largest lull between holiday celebrations.

International Friendship Day ^[1] is a day for celebrating friendship. The day has been celebrated in several southern South American countries for many years, particularly in Paraguay, where the first World Friendship Day was proposed in 1958.^[2]

Initially created by the greeting card industry, evidence from social networking sites shows a revival of interest in the holiday that may have grown with the spread of the Internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Digital communication modes such as the Internet and mobile phones may be helping to popularize the custom, since greeting friends en masse is now easier than before. Those who promote the holiday in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends to have originated in the U.S. in 1935, but it actually dates from 1919. The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.

Friendship Day celebrations occur on different dates in different countries. The first World Friendship Day was proposed for 30 July 1958.^[ On 27 April 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared. 30 July as official International Friendship Day. However, some countries, including India,^[7] celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August. In Oberlin, Ohio, Friendship Day is celebrated on 8 April each year.^{” – WIKIPEDIA}