National Hugging Day
National Hugging Day:
The National Hugging Day is a holiday celebrated on January 21. The day is meant to help people portray their emotions in public.
| Year | Date | Day | Where |
| 2022 | 21st January | Friday | United States |
| 2023 | 21st January | Saturday | United States |
| 2023 | 21st January | Sunday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NationalHuggingDay
#HuggingDay
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on January 21st:
Why National Hugging Day?
The National Hugging Day is a day for people to portray their emotions in public. This holiday is identified by the Copyright office in the United States. However, it is not celebrated as a public holiday. The best way for people to celebrate this day is by giving out hugs to everyone who needs it. You can give hugs to your family members or even to strangers on this day. Hugs are known to have a mental and physical healing effect that will make you feel better.
How can we celebrate National Hugging Day:
Some things you can do to celebrate this day include the following:
- Give someone a hug
National Hugging Day can only be celebrated if you give someone a big hug. Hugs are known to have tremendous mental health effects. You can give a hug to a friend, family member, or even to a stranger. Make them feel loved with these hugs and let them know that you care about their well-being. You can also walk around as you give hugs to new people that you meet. You might find that someone needed the hug and you were there to give it to them when they least expected it.
- Send a loving message to someone
The other way for you to celebrate this day is by sending a loving message to the people who are not close to you. if your loved one lives far away, you can send them a loving message that will have a great impact as the hug would have. Make sure that your message includes all the details that make these people special in your life. You can also send a small gift to accompany the message you send to them.
- Extend a helping hand
National Hugging Day is intended to help people portray their emotions in public and the best way to do this is to help the people who need your help. Such people include the vulnerable, sick, and elderly. Use this day to help them with tasks that they cannot handle on their own such as grocery shopping. Listen to them and show them that you care about what they are going through. To make the day even more memorable, give them a hug and send a loving message their way.
- Post on social media
If you have enjoyed celebrating this day, the best thing for you to do to share your experience with others is by posting on social media. You can post on social media platforms with photos and videos of how you were able to show emotions to others. In addition, you can share photos of the people that you hugged on this day. To boost awareness, use the hashtag #NationalHuggingDay in your social media posts.
Interesting Facts about National Hugging Day:
Some of the most interesting facts about hugging include the following:
- Most people use their right hand when going in to get a hug or receive a hug. However, this is usually influences by emotions at the moment of hugging.
- Hugging releases oxytocin. This essential hormone influences growth and social well-being. When you hug someone, the level of oxytocin in your body will increase and this can help reduce depressive or stressful feelings.
- Hugs can also reduce feelings of fear and raise levels of self-esteem. This effect can be achieved not only by hugging people but also by personal objects such as a teddy bear.
- Hugs can help in lowering blood pressure and improves the condition of the heart, which is great for boosting physical health.
- The average person spends around 3.17 seconds on a hug. In a month, the average person could spend a cumulative of one hour giving hugs.
- Hugs have been around for thousands of years and no one knows exactly when the first hug was invented.
- Humans are not the only species who give and receive hugs. Animals such as monkeys also participate in hugging.
History of National Hugging Day:
The National Hugging Day was created by Kevin Zaborney in 1986. He invented this day and sought to include it in a publication in which a relative of his friend worked. Zaborney claims that he selected January 21st to be the National Hugging Day because it was a time when people were least happy. This date also falls in between holidays when people usually come together including Christmas, New Years, and Valentines. In a bid to cheer up people during this period, Zaborney invented a day when people would give and receive hugs to reduce their depression. He also noted that people usually shy away from expressing their emotions in public and this day created the perfect avenue for them to do this. The day, even though not recognized as a public holiday, has achieved the purpose for which it was created.
