The Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places. The campaign in its present form was started in 2004 by an Australian man known only by the pseudonym “Juan Mann” . The hugs are meant to be random acts of kindness – purportedly selfless acts performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better. International Free Hugs Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of July (on July 4 in 2009).
