Meanings
- IndiauncountableAn annual event that actively encourages the show of love towards cows by hugging them.First known use 2023
A government body was forced to withdraw an appeal urging citizens to celebrate this Feb. 14 not as Valentine's Day, but as "Cow Hug Day," after widespread criticism.
2023 February 14, “It's Valentine's Day (not "Cow Hug Day") in India after all”, in CBS News2 more examples
The Animal Welfare Board of India, a body under the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has urged the public to celebrate February 14 as ‘Cow Hug Day’ saying that the cow was the backbone of Indian culture.
2023 February 9, “Bhopal: Diverse opinion on celebrating Valentine’s Day as ‘Cow Hug Day’”, in Free Press Journal, Mumbai, magazineThe [Uttar Pradesh Animal Husbandry] Minister remarked, “On one hand, Valentine’s Day will be celebrated all over the world on February 14, while on the other hand, the Animal Welfare Society of India has provided an alternative for those who have concerns about Valentine’s Day. They can celebrate Cow Hug Day if they wish.”
2025 February 14, “From Pagan rituals to capitalist spectacle: The dark origins of Valentine’s Day and India’s push for ‘Cow Hug Day’”, in The Organiser, archived from the original on 14 Feb 2025
Origin
Announced in India in February 2023.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Cow Hug Day. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cow%20Hug%20Day
“Cow Hug Day.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cow%20Hug%20Day. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cow Hug Day,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cow%20Hug%20Day.
Source: Cow Hug Day on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.