What is Hug Day?
As the name suggests, hugging day is a day to encourage people to hug each other and show love and concern towards one another. The annual event of hugging takes place every year on January 21st.
Kevin Zaborney was the person who is behind initiating this event worldwide. It was in the year 1986, on the day of January 21st that the event was first started and from then on, it became a worldwide celebration.
The day is declared a holiday in some parts of the world. But in most other countries, it is a working day and. The main idea behind starting hug day was to encourage family, friends, relatives, near and dear ones to express love and gratitude to one another.
Hug Day 2020
In the US, hug day will be celebrated on January 21st, 2020. However in India, people practise hug day, though unofficially on 13th February, i.e., just a day before the Valentine’s Day.
With the choice of dates, comes the difference in practice. In the English countries, this day will be especially reserved to showing love, care and affection to your loved ones simply through a hug. People may have drifted away from their families.
They might be leading lives alone in some different corners of the world. They may have seen setbacks in their lives. They may be unable to see their families for a long time.
So, this day will be a kind of re-unison for them with their families. The day will bring them joy as they will be able to forget their past complaints and regrets they had, if any, and mend broken hearts.
The day will also allow people to celebrate more time with their families. May be watching a TV, relaxing with children and pets on the lawn, being concerned about aged parents, taking them for a walk, giving them kind attention, showing your wife your care, helping her in her daily chores, calling up old friends, making time for them to meet up and party, etc will be part of the celebrations on hug day 2020.
Hug Day Celebration
Hug day is celebrated on January 21st every year for a reason. Zaborney found out that between the spirits of Christmas, New Year and the Valentines, people generally experienced a low-phase in their lives.
It was not that they were unhappy with the celebrations, but as the celebrations get over with the New Year, they feel a sense of detachment from feelings and hence spend times keeping to themselves.
So, this was the best time that something could be brought in, to add cheer and merry to people who thought there was nothing to keep them going, nothing to keep them happy.
National hugging day is a national event observed in the United States. People here come out and hug their families and friends and tell them how important they are to them. It was also seen in the US that people generally show a laid back attitude when it comes to showing love and affection to their loved ones.
Life rather becomes too monotonous and follows a definite pattern without any changes, when it comes to leading a daily routine. Any festival or event for that matter, aims to bring in suitable changes to people’s daily routines and adds spice with its celebrations.
The day does not mean that one has to party hard to show that he has celebrated the day to the world.
Simply sending time with your loved ones, encouraging creativity with your young ones, displaying affection and being thankful to your parents for whatever they have given you, being courteous to your wife for being there by your side at all times, could go a long way in deciding the celebrations on hug day.
Families choose to celebrate the day in many different ways. Some families set out on a day’s vacation, to a beach, a resort or a jungle safari, ensuring that they and their families have had some change in their daily routine.
Some choose a quiet holiday at home, spending time in front of the TV, watching favorite movies that the family loves to sit and watch together, eat special food, make merry, play games, relax, etc.
By hugging people, you are also destroying any gaps that you created between you and the rest of the society or your neighbors. May be you have a bad time with your fellow neighbor for throwing too much water on his plants, such that they enter your living space and create trouble for you.
May be you dislike the loud music that they played last Sunday and so you had to yell at them to calm them down. It really doesn’t matter. Whatever happened, has already taken place. Give it a thought. Through a sweet and simple hug, you have a chance of burying down those differences and creating a re-start all over again.
It could mean fostering friendly relations with them for a life-time. After all they are your neighbors and not your enemies. They are part of your locality and you would see them day in and day out.
At some public places, hug day is celebrated by hugging strangers and people unknown to you. It is just a mark and sign of being nice to each other and not to show nay other kind of remarks against them.
This kind of celebration is not followed by everyone. It’s obvious that everyone reacts in a different way when a stranger comes forward to extend a hug.
So, even in the words of Zaborney, he has always advised to first seek the responses of the person you intend to hug, if the person is a total stranger to you. If in case you receive a positive response, then go ahead and extend a warm hug to the person.
If in case, the person is slightly hesitant with a hug, extend a handshake. If that is also not going well, then just leave with a smile on your face.
As part of the celebrations in US, people are expected to openly hug strangers and be nice to them. It is a way of seeing the world on a global platter and not restricting our love and care only for our individual families. By being nice to unknown strangers, we are creating awareness of a global family concept.
Celebrate the day by exchanging gifts with your loved ones. You may have been thinking to gift your parents from a long time, but may have not got the perfect occasion to do so. See the changes you can bring on hug day.
Present them gifts that they like, give them nice things that they love, hug them tightly and tell them how much they matter to you. Ditto with your siblings, wife and children. Tell them how important they are to you and how much life would turn miserable, if it weren’t for them.
Celebrations apart, it is also an occasion to thank God for all that he has given you. Thank him for the support system he has created for you in your life. Thank him for the food you get to eat every day, for the work that you do every day and for the love and care that people shower on you.
Be thankful to the society in more than one ways. Show society that you care for it. Initiate a cleanliness drive. Show solidarity towards pets. Bring in social causes and awareness to the fore.
Be concerned about the society. Be giving towards the downtrodden people and those who are less fortunate than you are. On the whole, extend happiness to all our loved ones and cherish being with your dear ones on this meaningful day.
Hug Day Quotes
- A hug can render smoothness in your heart and re-kindle the soft feelings lying ignorant in the dark walls inside your mind.
- Sometimes, all it takes is a tight hug and a little smile on your loved ones’ face.
- Hugging is another way of letting know your loved ones, how important they are to you.
- Staying close to your family is incomplete without a hug and comes a full circle with a chuckle on your face.
- When you can’t express in words, show love to your children, express your care and concern by just giving them a good hug.
Hug Day Facts
- Hugging is also associated with good health. Hugging your loved ones can create positive responses in the brain improve your blood circulation, can bring people out of depression.
- Hugging can reduce stress at work and bring down tension levels in personal lives. Extending a hug leaves a feel good factor in the mind and changes the outlook of people.
- Hugging is also associated with emotional health. During old ages, people generally feel lost and locked in their own shells. To bring them out in the open, to create a happy living space for them, hugging is recommended.
- Pets are generally known to be happier around their masters who often resort to hugging and cuddling them.
- Hugging small children can help in the development of the right emotional quotient and can improve their creativity levels as well.
- A hug for a few seconds can lower heart disease risks.
- Hugging is an essential activity in children; they would be rest assured that their parents are there to care for them in the world, no matter what.
- Hugging is a necessary part of life, to create well being and defeat diseases and cheat unhappiness.
Why is hug day celebrated?
Hug day is celebrated to hug the ones you love. To express your feelings with a tight hug, that yeah man! I love you and thank you for being a part of my life, you are damn special to me, and you always will be.
These days most of the people hide their feelings. In the present era, people are so busy with their lives that they don’t get the time for their loved ones. And sooner or later, a little gap starts coming in between.
Hug day is not all about hugging your lover, no! No! Hug day is about hugging the ones you care about, i.e., your parents, friends, etc.
Ever hugged your dad? No! Right? Because you feel like that it will be too emotional, but when you are goanna realize that your father is waiting for that very special moment, when you are goanna hug him out and talk about the happenings of your life! Stop waiting for the right moment or else it will be late.
You just go hug him and tell him, that Dad I love you, you are very special to me, yah too much sentiments, right? Ok but at least hug him, if you can’t say that.
Because he will understand as you hug him. Don’t forget guys, that a father is the one who puts his foot down, to complete all the desires of his children.
He is the one, who buys expensive stuff ignoring the fact that he has not much clothes to wear. That man, He is your father.
Why is it so easy to hug a guy or a girl than to hug your father, because you never did that oftenly, stop finding a reason or stop being mean to him? Show some love and care to the person who actually deserves. So go and hug him.
We usually hug our maa a lot of times, have you ever seen the smile on her face? Those heavenly drops falling from her eyes. The lady who carried you for 9 months, deserves a hug guys!
And not on purpose, just hug her and tell her. That I love you maa, you are the World’s best maa ever. If you wouldn’t be there for me, then who would be!
Go hug out an old friend, from whom you haven’t talked from so long, because you were busy.
Give him or her a tight hug and talk to him or her about the wonderful memories that you guys have spent together, the pranks that you guys did together, the times when you were the only ones for each other when there was no one.
The one with whom you used to fight a lot but never got apart. Then why letting the awkwardness become a part between you both.
Go hug your old amigo and tell him or her, about how much you care about him or her and that you still remember those memorable moments that you guys spent together.
Don’t forget about your siblings though! With whom you fight over a remote! And give your full support to each other whenever needed. The ones of whom you love to pull hairs off.
The ones with whom you have spent your whole childhood with. The ones who have got your back when you wanted to hide something from your parents and do something crazy as shit.
The ones who have fought with you when you are leading towards the wrong direction.
And no matter you grow up, your bond always remains the same, don’t just let them go, hug them around for they have always been there for you through your ups and downs and throughout the problems you wanted help in.
And finally comes your lover, the main chapter of your life, the reason why valentine’s week, why hug day is celebrated! He/she is your sunshine.
The one, who has bring up the hopes and joys in your life, the reason why you are blushing right now and thinking about him or her.
There it is! Now you are smiling like an idiot, make sure your parents aren’t around or else they will think that something is going on fishy!
Your lover is your supporter.
This is for the girls who have found there Mr. Perfect,
Let me remind you that he is the one who emotionally understands you, the one who wipes your tears away, the one that makes you go blush, the one who calls you at mid night just to see whether you are ok!
The one who cares for you so much but is unable to describe. I know he is rude at times.
But he is the one who accepts your period swings, your mood swings, your wishes etc. You are lucky to have a man who understands you. So, don’t just sit ideal and keep blushing while reading this article, go meet him and give him a tight huggee!
This is for the guys who have found there Mrs. Perfect,
She is the one who loves to wear your shirt, she is the one who understands you without you uttering any word, a guy really and rarely opens up to someone, but she, she already knows what’s going on in your inside.
You are her hero. I know she is a bit irritating but she is your girl, go get her. Pick her up and give her a long, tight, cuddly huggee!
Sometimes words can’t define, what a hug does! It’s an amazing feeling to hug someone.
When someone special holds you tightly and hugs you, it’s the best feeling ever.
Love your parents, siblings, lover, and friends even if you have a pet, hug them too….
You must have heard that give a heart to a pet, and they will never break it, is true! They are damn adorable creatures who are very loyal to their owners.
Hugging them doesn’t makes you any less or stupid, they too are living beings, the day itself calls out for a hug.
Hug the ones who have brought happiness in your life, love the ones who have always supported you, care for the ones who have been the candle through your darkness, and never let that candle go away from your life. Love the people, who have done so much for you.
Evenly to even hug your rival, cause due to him or her you are standing here. Be proud of what you were, who you were, what you are, and what you will.
Hug your loved ones on the occasion of hug day and let them know that they are damn special to you and that you will never let them down. Hug them and let them know how much you care about.
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