National Hug Day occurs on January 21st every year. It was launched
by Reverend Kevin Zaborney in 1986 in his home state of Michigan (USA).
National
Hug Day is now also celebrated in Canada, Russia and China.
Did you know that French couples hug three times more than American couples do? It's true that Americans are often quite embarrassed about showing their feelings, even to the people they know. The idea of National Hug Day is to encourage people to express their affection by hugging their friends and the members of their family.
Hugging is also a good thing because there are mental and physical health
benefits: it can help build a good immune system, it decreases the levels of stress
and the risk of heart disease, and it also lowers blood pressure and heart rate.
January is a month when people often feel a bit depressed, so it was a
good idea to choose the middle of that month for this annual event.
Don’t forget: you should ask
first before hugging anyone!
Questions:
- Do you like hugs?!
- What is the idea of National Hug Day?
- In which year was it founded, by whom and where?
- In which countries is it now celebrated?
- How do you explain that the Chinese now celebrate this day?
- What are the benefits of hugging?
- Why is this day not celebrated in France?
- Would you take part in a Free Hugs Campaign?!
- Could hugging campaigns help solve the problem of social isolation do you think?
- Are there other ways for people to help other people to feel less lonely do you think?
Assignement:
- Research the meaning of the following terms: social anxiety, social alienation, social exclusion, anomie.
- Explain in a comment to this blog post who, in the area you live in, is socially excluded and what, if anything, is being done about it.
- Write about the life of a lonely person you know about for your school webzine (do not use real names!) to raise awareness about loneliness.
