Guwahati: The Animal Welfare Board of India, which falls under the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has suggested February 14 should be celebrated as โ€˜Cow Hug Dayโ€™ to celebrate the animalโ€™s importance to Indian culture and the rural economy.

The Board issued an appeal on February 6, stating that โ€œwest cultureโ€ is leading to the near extinction of โ€œVedic traditionsโ€ and that โ€œhugging with cow will bring emotional richness hence will increase our individual & collective happinessโ€.

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The day has been proposed in contrast to Valentineโ€™s Day, which is observed in some parts of the world, and which has been met with criticism from certain outfits who say it goes against โ€œIndian cultureโ€.

Interestingly, cow hugging has been a trend in some Western countries for a while now.

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It may be mentioned in some countries like the Netherlands, โ€œkoe knuffelenโ€ (Dutch for cow hugging) is seen as a self-care practice and is offered as a service by farm owners.

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Some reports state that cow cuddlers typically start by taking a tour of a farm before resting against one of the cows for two to three hours.