When did hugging become the greeting of choice for so many?

You see it all the time. People who aren’t the best of friends, some just barely know each other (you could tell that from the conversation that follows), insist on Hugging other than the more traditional oral greeting. It seems to be more of a girl thing (girls hugging girls or girls hugging guys) though you do, on occasion, see the non-gay hug greeting between two males.

I was at an arboretum last summer. They had this “Tree Hugger” event where they wanted a group photo around this tree with everyone standing on this lookout tower type thing. I accepted an invitation for a photo taken, and was shocked to hear that the rules are Tree Hugging, and you have to be hugging the person next to you whether you knew them or now. When I heard this, and realized that it wasn’t part of the originally stated deal, I immediately exited (without causing a scene) and hid out in the hedge maze garden (which you take to get to the tower) until all the strangers hugging was completed.

I don’t condemn this practice, mind you. I won’t even touch my wife in public, and really ain’t into touching strangers, acquaintances, friends, family members, or whatevers else. I’m just wondering when and why did hugging become the choice for so many at the time of greeting someone they may or may not know.