All you need is a big hug! Why? Because today is National Hugging Day across the globe. So if you are reading this, stop what you are doing and give the closest person to you a big, warm, affectionate hug, like you’ve never hugged anyone before…
….if there isn’t anyone near you then don’t hug yourself because that’s just weird. Although this girl has found a solution to the problem.
‘How can there possibly be a National Hugging Day’ I hear you ask? Well I wouldn’t be surprised, there is a day for everything now, i’d be more concerned about Disaster Day (February 5th), Clean Up Your Room Day (May 10th) and Take Your Pants For A Walk Day (July 27th). Yes those are all real.
National Hugging Day was coined by Kevin Zaborney in a 1986. He was a juvenile delinquents treatment specialist who used to grapple with what he considered a lamentable sociological fact that “American society is embarrassed to show feelings in public”. So the original goal of the national holiday was for American people to show more emotion in public, this ultimately grew to the rest of the world! Arrrr global hug….
via freehugscampaign
The Free Hugs campaign was started in 2004 and is not actually directly linked to National Hugging Day, but Juan Mann, the originator of the social movement became famous when a band called ‘Sick Puppies’ created a music video featuring him holding a sign saying ‘free hugs’. The video has now been watched nearly 72 million times and every year the concept of giving free hugs to strangers on National Hugging Day has grown.
We couldn’t talk hugging without mentioning our good friend Arie Moyal from HugTrainUSA. Arie has been busy travelling on trains around the USA in the past few months; giving out hugs like hot cakes.
‘The purpose of HugTrainUSA is to spread happiness and good feeling during the holiday season and make people feel that they matter, the train also provides a forum for creating discussions and awareness about mental health’.
Nokia Connects caught up with him a while ago in Chicago for a HugTrainUSA meet up (Arie is far right). Thanks to Mike Maddaloni for this.
Watch this space as we catch up with Arie in the next few weeks. He has been very busy man recently…but for now make sure you do plenty of hugging today! If you’ve got any good hug photos then please send them our way @Nokia_Connects or below.