India urges people to ditch ‘Western’ Valentine’s Day, announces February 14 as Cow Print Day

India encouraged people to abandon the “Western” Valentine’s Day and announced that February 14 is now Cow Print Day.

In a new call, the Indian government has declared February 14 as Cow Pushing Day to embrace the animal considered holy and sacred in Hinduism, India’s largest religion.

Hugging a cow “brings emotional richness” and “will increase our individual and collective happiness”, according to a government statement, according to The Guardian.

The renaming of February 14 is also intended to counter the “glamour of Western civilization”, which the government says is at the expense of older Indian traditions.

Valentine’s Day has become a popular event among young people over the past decade – a trend fueled by intense marketing campaigns for flowers, teddy bears, heart-shaped gifts and even romantic gestures to surprise Valentine’s Day with.

At the same time, Hindu nationalist policies gained support in India, and “Western” holidays – and traditions such as Valentine’s Day – came under fire for promoting “corrupt values”.

READ MORE: The one-eyed calf is worshiped as a deity in India

Shops selling Valentine’s cards and decorations were attacked by right-wing militias, who also targeted couples holding hands.

These groups often engage in the moral scrutiny of women—and the Valentine’s Day critique is no different.

Following their rhetoric, the holiday encourages female debauchery and extravagant behavior.

Cow Pushing Day is the latest attempt by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to refer to the “sacred” cow in India-wide politics.

Most states in India already ban the slaughter of cows as it is considered sacred by many, and the sale and consumption of beef is also banned in many places in India, including the capital Delhi.

This is not the first time that the cow has become involved in a national issue: the National Cow Commission has come up with a proposal for a state-wide examination on cow science as part of the BJP’s revised curriculum.

It was delayed until 2021 because it was accused of promoting religious pseudoscience about Indian cows.

According to The Guardian, these claims include that Indian cows have more emotions than their foreign counterparts, that their humps have magical powers, or that their dung can even prevent radiation.