The Animal Welfare Board from India is urging citizens to celebrate “Cow Hug Day” instead of Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 this year. This is because, in a recent statement by the government department, they referred to cows as the “backbone” of Indian culture.
Why is Cow Hug Day happening?
The country of India has never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. The people there have gone as far as raiding shops as well as burning cards or gifts.
Because of this and to cause less conflict on Feb. 14 the Animal Welfare board would prefer to switch it to Cow Hug Day. The board even added that hugging a cow would help you counter the threat that is posed to Vedic. This stems from the Hindu religion’s ancient texts of the Vedas.
Cows’ impact on Indian culture
Unlike most places in the world, cow slaughtering to make food is primarily banned in India. Selling and eating foods like beef is banned in many places across the country in India including the capital Delhi.
Cow science was devised by the National Cow Commission as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s revised curriculum. It was postponed in 2021 however after it was accused of promoting religious pseudoscience about cows in India.
Among these sorts of textbook material were some strange claims about how cows in India have more emotions than their foreign counterparts. They also state that cows’ humps are filled with magical powers and that their dung has the ability to prevent radiation.
Cows are just overall considered sacred creatures by Hindus in India. Lord Krishna’s favorite animal was the cow. After this, India now considers cows the symbol of wealth, strength, and abundance.
How much do others want to hug cows?
Sofia Sokolow states that “I would love to hug a cow because I really like them, they’re really cute, and they’re great and deserve more hype.” This is implying that maybe instead of just traditional Valentine’s Day on Feb 14 you can go and hug a cow to make yourself feel better if you don’t have or are unable to find someone to spend Valentine’s Day with.
Melissa Abrams, an English teacher explains, “Cows are my second favorite animal. I have hugged many in my lifetime and I have no problem with hugging a cow. Cows are amazing.” Even for people who have previously worked on farms, cow hugging doesn’t seem too off to people around the world.
If we ever considered replacing or coinciding Valentine’s Day with Cow Hug Day here in the states, Dylan DaCunha said, “Me, personally, I wouldn’t mind if we replaced it, but a lot of Americans would miss the nostalgia of Valentine’s Day if we replaced, so a majority of people would probably prefer a hug a cow day alongside Valentine’s Day.” I think this would be great to do because not only are we celebrating Indian culture on this day, but we also have traditional Valentine’s Day that can coincide with it.
And overall, everyone can now celebrate Valentine’s Day whether they have someone or not. If you don’t have someone, hug a cow and maybe you’ll feel better.
