Día del Amigo: Argentine Celebration Tied to Moon Landing

The Día del Amigo, celebrated each July 20 in Argentina, was inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing and proposed by Argentine Enrique Febbraro, an odontologist and psychologist Source: La Voz; Clarín; Infobae.

Origin and Inspiration

Febbraro, watching the 1969 moon landing, saw it as a symbol of unity and friendship. He sent about 1,000 letters to countries worldwide proposing July 20 as a day to honor friendship, receiving 700–800 positive responses Source: La Voz, Infobae. La Voz reports "eight of every ten recipients responded favorably," while Infobae puts the number at "more than 700" Source: La Voz; Infobae.

Official Recognition

The campaign gained traction locally. In 1979, Buenos Aires city officially adopted the date via decree, and in 1983, the province declared Lomas de Zamora the "provincial capital of friendship" Source: Infobae. Clarín notes that the Buenos Aires province had earlier decreed it in 1979 Source: Clarín. Febbraro later registered the intellectual property and ceded it to the Rotary Club of Lomas de Zamora Source: Infobae.

Spread and Modern Celebration

Though not a public holiday, the day is widely observed in Argentina and also in Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Spain, among others Source: La Voz. The celebration has moved online, with Google Trends showing high search activity for greetings and GIFs . Febbraro was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize .