Hug Day is celebrated on the sixth day of Valentine’s Week — February 12. It’s hard to deny the power a simple hug can have over our moods and general well-being. It’s amazing how such a simple gesture can just melt your troubles away. You hug someone to celebrate their highest of highs and to soothe them during their lowest of lows. Hugs help lower stress, increase mutual trust, and lower blood pressure, among so many other benefits. Hug a person you love today — it’s free!
Approximately 450 years ago, the term ‘hug’ was first recorded in Old Norse. It’s believed to have sprung from the verb ‘hugga,’ which meant ‘to comfort.’ It’s, on the other hand, unclear how the actual practice of hugging started. As far as we know, it has only been for the past 50 years or so that public hugging has been seen as socially appropriate, differentiated from other shows of affection such as kissing.
When greeting friends and relatives, saying farewell or congratulating someone, we usually give an embrace. To console someone or to express sympathy, we hug. We hug to wish someone good luck, and we hug as a general expression of affection between intimate partners.
According to historical records, hugging and handshaking were first used in warfare to communicate to your adversary that you didn’t intend to harm them, showing that you had no visible weapons in your hands or on your body. To demonstrate that they came only equipped with words, presidential candidates partly hug and hold each other’s arms during a debate.
