The Moon Landing: A Friendly Reminder

The day the man arrived to the moon is a very special day in my native country, Argentina: ror us, it is Friend's Day.

An Argentine teacher, musician, and dentist, Enrique Febbraro, lobbied to turn the anniversary of the first moon landing into an international day of friendship. He argued that on this particular day, the whole world had been friends of the three astronauts.

From my point of view he was very accurate in his assesment. Not so many events in modern history were so celebrated by people in every corner of the world.

He never got his wish in the sense that this day became Friend's Day just in Argentina and Uruguay, but in both countries is a big day. In Argentina, Friend's Day is a good excuse for a common friendly gathering, though people also employ the day to get in contact with old and seldom-met friends and greet them.

For that reason, brands tend to have special campaigns just for this date and they are either heart-touching or extremely funny. I prefer the last ones, of course.

So here is a recent ad from Fernet Branca celebrating friends. I picked this one not only because it is hilarious but also because it represents pretty well how I think about friendship....

My friends know what to expect from me. Ninety-nine percent of the time, simply the truth. Sometimes... well..., I could soooo easily be the one laughing in the commercial!

Happy Friend's Day, chicuelos, wherever you are!