Friendship is a core value for most Argentines, so much so that it has its own celebration day: July 20.
In Argentina, Friendship Day is usually a day of long lunches, dinners, happy hours and asados, with people organizing gatherings in advance and restaurants seeing a rise in group reservations. Meanwhile, messaging apps and social media are flooded with greetings, photos and nostalgic memories.
Back in the pre-smartphone era, mobile phone networks were famously overloaded on July 20 because of the sheer volume of calls and text messages exchanged — today, 5G and Whatsapp groups have made it easier.
The decision to celebrate Día del Amigo on July 20 was promoted in the early 1970s by Enrique Ernesto Febbraro, who was inspired by the symbolism of twinned mankind the first moon landing represented.
This year, celebrating friendship couldn’t come on a more timely date. In the aftermath of Argentina’s World Cup final defeat against Spain and the fin de siecle feeling regarding team captain Lionel Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni’s time in Argentina’s national team, comfort among friends is a basic need. So, don’t be surprised to see people packing up the few bars and restaurants open on a Monday night: Argentina takes Día del Amigo very seriously.
