National Hugging Day 2023: Date, History, Facts

National Hugging Day 2023: Open your heart… and your arms on January 21, which is National Hugging Day. This day, as you may have guessed, is an annual celebration of the unappreciated art form of the hug. We enjoy all varieties of embraces, from the one-armed bro hug to the full bear hug. So let’s get hugging!

WHEN IS NATIONAL HUGGING DAY 2023?

National Hugging Day is observed on January 21 to honour the simplest and most effective way to convey affection. Even though a hug is one of the most natural gestures, it is underutilised nowadays! This festival promotes hugs as a therapeutic means of expressing compassion and emotion.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL HUGGING DAY

National Hugging Day was established by Kevin Zaborney in 1986. His buddy was the granddaughter of Chase’s Calendar of Events’ owners. The 21st of January was chosen by Zaborney because it fell between the winter holidays and the new year’s birthdays, a period during which he observed that people tend to feel depressed. He also believed that Americans were frequently too shy to express affection in public and hoped that National Hugging Day would change that, although he never believed it would ever catch on.

The word “hug” is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word “hugga,” which meant “to soothe” and first appeared roughly 450 years ago. However, the history of hugging is somewhat uncertain. Only recently (over the past 50 years) have we witnessed a complete acceptance of public hugging, distinguishing it from other distinguished expressions of emotion such as kissing. The widespread adoption of hugging in recent years has been attributed to two key factors: the decreased formality of dress code and manners between partnerships, and the changing behaviours of political officials seeking a more approachable, warm-hearted public image.

We no longer contemplate the fact that public embraces were once considered impolite PDA. When greeting friends and relatives, saying farewell, or congratulating someone, we embrace. To soothe or express support for someone. As a common display of affection between close relationships, we embrace sports and performance teams before to the start of their match. There are also Free Hugs fundraising events!

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NATIONAL HUG DAY BY THE NUMBERS

12 — the number of hugs required by humans every day to be healthy.

32% — the percentage of stress that is dispelled with a hug.

20 seconds — the average time of a hug.

4 — the number of hugs needed for survival.

8 — the number of hugs needed by humans every day for maintenance.

10 seconds — the hug time that leads to biochemical reactions in the body that boost health.

NATIONAL HUGGING DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	January 21	Saturday
2024	January 21	Sunday
2025	January 21	Tuesday
2026	January 21	Wednesday
2027	January 21	Thursday