“Friends are the family we choose for ourselves” – Edna Buchanan
Friendship. No matter how you define it, it’s one of life’s true pleasures. Cherish your friends everyday but especially on 20th July – Friendship Day in Argentina.
Friends/ Image via Pepe Pont/ Flickr
Día del amigo – Friendship Day – was actually created in Argentina, by an Argentine professor of psychology. Enrique Ernesto Febbraro wanted to connect with people across the world and on 20th July 1968 he sent more than 1,000 cards to people living in different countries. Some 700 people responded to his letter and International Friendship Day was born.
How to Celebrate Friendship Day
The majority of people in Argentina – predictably – celebrate diá del amigo by meeting up with friends, either at home or in a restaurant, café or bar. If you want to enjoy a real Argentine celebration with friends, invite everyone over in the evening, fire up the grill and lay out an asado for your nearest and dearest. Or, if you are lacking in the grill department, start the evening with a picada (selection of cold meats, cheeses and olives) and order pizza or empanadas. Wash everything down with Malbec, beer, or Fernet and coke.
Asado!/ Image via Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Uruguay/ Flickr
If you feel like going out, plenty of bars and clubs are open on Monday night, starting with the “After Office” early evening drinks and heading into the full-on dancing later in the night.
Here are a couple more ideas for festivities with friends this Sunday and Monday.
Sunday 19th July: Fogón del Día del Amigo San Isidro/Konex, with La Bomba de Tiempo
Happening in the Hipódromo (Av. Márquez and Tellier) in San Isidro, this is a free festival for friends on Sunday 19th July starting at 13.00. Performers give their take on the value of friendship, local musicians join in the fun, Leo García performs, and the festivities close with a DJ set and the crazy drumming from collective Bomba de Tiempo.
Monday 20th July: After Office InterContinental Buenos Aires
Enjoy two-for-one cocktails in the Intercontinental lounge bar from 18.30, with cool music from resident DJ Becu Roggio. Great for winding down if you’re working on Monday.
All Through July
Check out an offer at La Cabrera parrilla restaurant (La Cabrera Sur (Cabrera 5099), La Cabrera Norte (Cabrera 5127) La Cabrera Boutique (Cabrera 5065) – all through July if you reserve a table for after 23.00 you get a round of beer for free, or a free bottle of wine for you and your friends to share.
Whether you are celebrating with old friends or new, this is a day to relax and have fun. Catch up on the news, swap gossip, laugh, and share a drink or two. Celebrate friendship day in the spirit it was intended – with the family you choose for yourself.