Many societies have traditions which involve
kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
ing. Kissing can indicate joy or be used as part of a
greeting
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indiv ...
. Kissing involves the touching of one's lips to the lips or other body part, such as the cheek, head or hand of another person. Sometimes people often kiss their friends as a way of giving luck or even showing feelings.
Greetings
In the
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. , a kiss is a common gesture of
greeting
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indiv ...
, and at times a kiss is expected. Throughout all cultures people greet one another as a sign of recognition, affection, friendship and reverence. Depending on the occasion and the culture, a greeting may take the form of a
handshake
A handshake is a globally widespread, brief greeting or parting tradition in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up-and-down movement of the grasped hands. Customs surrounding handshakes a ...
,
hug
A hug is a form of endearment, universal in most human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are involved, it may be referre ...
,
bow,
nod,
nose rub, a
kiss on the lips with the mouth closed or a
kiss or kisses on the cheek. Cheek kissing is most common in Europe and Latin America and has become a standard greeting in Latin Europe.
While cheek kissing is a common greeting in many cultures, each country has a unique way of kissing. In Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and Lebanon, it is customary to "kiss three times, on alternate cheeks". Italians, Croatians and Hungarians usually kiss twice in a greeting and in Mexico and Belgium only one kiss is necessary. In Ecuador, women kiss on the right cheek only and in Oman it is not unusual for men to kiss one another on the nose after a handshake.
French culture expects kisses on the cheek in greeting, though the customs differ. Two kisses are most common throughout all of France but, in Provence, three kisses are given and in Nantes, four are exchanged.
Kissing quickly on the lips with the mouth closed is a common greeting in some places of Western culture such as South Africa.
Kissing traditions were often modified during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
to avoid spreading severe illness.
Kissing spots
Kiss me at the kissing bench
The
Syracuse University senior class of 1912 left behind a stone bench. With this gesture the graduating class hoped "to begin a tradition of graduating classes leaving behind similar gifts that would add to the beauty of the campus."
While the bench does enhance the beauty of the
Syracuse University quad, the kissing bench has become much more than an ordinary seat. In the 1950s, it was said that if a woman were kissed while sitting on the bench she would "avoid the risk of becoming a spinster."
However, in 1970 the tradition was expanded to state that a woman must be kissed on the bench to graduate and marry. Currently the tradition stands that if two people kiss while sitting on the kissing bench they will eventually marry.
Meet me at the kissing post
The
kissing post, supporting
Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
's registry room, is a famous column at which millions of US immigrants reunited with family. At the registry room, final stages of the immigration process were completed. Then, as immigrants moved towards the pillar it marked a significant moment in their journey. Processed immigrants would search for family members who were to meet them at the kissing post. The once ordinary post was named the kissing post by staff members at
Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
in reaction to the "joyful reunions" and kisses between relatives and loved ones.
Not only did immigrants endure the long passage to the United States but upon arriving they underwent a lengthy inspection process.
This emotional process included physical exams, medical detentions, Board hearings for unaccompanied women and children and separation from family members. Seeing the kissing post at the end of their journey to America was an emotional conclusion to their experience. The kissing post signifies freedom, reunion and a new beginning.
Kissing the Blarney stone
Kissing the
Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone ( ga, Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about from Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows th ...
(also called the Stone of Eloquence) is a popular custom in the
Castle of Blarney in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The stone is below the battlements on the parapet, making kissing the stone difficult. Originally, people would be hung by their feet over the parapet and be lowered to reach the stone. However, after a man died from falling, a new system was developed. The person now lies on their back with someone securing their feet, and they lower themselves downward while holding on to iron rails. Then, they can reach the stone that people have kissed for hundreds of years. How this tradition started is unknown, but people who succeed in kissing the stone are said to be given the gift of eloquence. One legend describes an old woman who was rescued from drowning by the king of
Munster. She rewarded him by casting a spell on a stone that would give him magical speaking abilities whenever he kissed it. Another story tells of a past ruler of the castle, Dermont McCarthy, who was noted for never giving up his castle to
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
. McCarthy was expected to give the castle to the Queen as a sign of his loyalty, however, he always seemed to have an excuse to put it off. He was said to have had convincing and eloquent reasons for postponing his gift, thus the Queen began to call it "Blarney talk". The word Blarney now means "the ability to influence and coax with fair words and soft speech without giving offense". This led to the belief that anyone who kissed the stone would receive McCarthy's skill or the "gift of the gab", as locals call it. Many have traveled to become more eloquent including
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
, world leaders,
American presidents, and international entertainers. They all come for this promise: kiss the Blarney Stone, and "you’ll never again be lost for words."
Special occasions
Kissing under the mistletoe
It is a Christmas custom for a couple who meet under a
mistletoe to
kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
. Mistletoe is commonly used as a
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
decoration, though such use was rarely alluded to until the 18th century. The tradition has spread throughout the English-speaking world but is largely unknown in the rest of Europe. It was described in 1820 by American author
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
in his ''
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'', commonly referred to as ''The Sketch Book'', is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by the American author Washington Irving. It was published serially throughout 1819 and 1820. The co ...
'':
Some claim that the origin of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe goes back to ancient
Norse mythology. According to the myth, a goddess named Frigg had a son named Baldr. When he was born, she made all plants unable to hurt him. Yet she overlooked the mistletoe plant, and a god known for his mischief, Loki, tricked another god into killing Baldr with a spear made of mistletoe. The gods eventually brought Baldr back to life, and Frigg declared that mistletoe would bring love rather than death into the world. People then kissed under the mistletoe to obey the goddess, as well as to remember Baldr's resurrection.
[http://newsarchives.tamu.edu/stories/01/121401-3.html ]
Another theory is that the tradition originated in the ancient Babylonian-Assyrian Empire. Single women apparently stood under mistletoe hung outside the temple for the goddess of beauty and love. They were expected to bond with the first man that approached them - but they did not kiss.
Historically, mistletoe was seen as a supernatural, healing plant. It was believed to promote fertility, and its leaves were said to be an aphrodisiac. Mistletoe was once a part of marriage ceremonies for this reason, and was placed under couples' beds for good luck.
The tradition later was found in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, when young men would kiss women standing under the mistletoe, and would pluck a berry from the bush after each kiss. After all the berries were gone, it was bad luck to continue kissing under that bush. It is important to remember that during this period a kiss was taken very seriously - it was usually seen as a promise of marriage.
[ (2007) by David Beaulieu.]
New Year's kiss
In some Western cultures, it is a custom for people to kiss at the stroke of midnight on
New Year's Eve. Some hold the superstition that failing to kiss someone ensures a year of loneliness.
When celebrating at a Scottish
Hogmanay party, it is custom to try to give a kiss to everyone in the room after the stroke of midnight "the bells".
Wedding kiss
It is a Western custom for a newly married couple to exchange a kiss at the conclusion of their
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
ceremony. Some Christians hold the belief that the kiss symbolizes the exchange of souls between the bride and the groom, fulfilling the scripture that "the two shall become one flesh". However, some trace the tradition to an ancient
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
tradition, whereby the exchange of a kiss signified the completion of a contract. Although the kiss is not a formal requirement of the ceremony, most regard the gesture as a joyful start of the marriage. The most traditional way guests entice the new couple to kiss is by clinking their glasses. An ancient
Christian tradition explains that the clinking sound scares the devil away and the couple kisses in his absence. Another tradition is to ring bells placed at the tables by the wedding party. A ring of the bell signals the bride and groom to kiss.
Youth and kissing
Kissing songs
Child and teenage culture includes a number of simple songs about kissing, love and romance, with some revolving around heartbreak and others focussing on enduring love. One of the most famous songs is a children's song often used to tease other children who are thought to feel affection toward each other:
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and
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sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love, then comes marriage
Then comes a baby in a baby carriage
Sometimes there are more verses to the song, depending on the particular variation the children know.
Religious kiss
Kissing in Christianity
Kissing out of honor, respect, and even forgiveness is a tradition that is incorporated into many
Christian denominations. The kissing of
icons
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...
, painted images of Jesus and the saints, is the primary form of veneration in
Orthodox Christianity
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Chur ...
. Veneration of the holy images is an ancient custom dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries, and is still practiced today in Orthodox Christian worship. Through veneration, Orthodox Christians show reverence for the people and the events depicted in the icon.
Another Christian kissing tradition is known as the "
kiss of peace
The kiss of peace is an ancient traditional Christian greeting, sometimes also called the "holy kiss", "brother kiss" (among men), or "sister kiss" (among women). Such greetings signify a wish and blessing that peace be with the recipient, and bes ...
." This tradition is traced to Apostle Paul's instruction for Christians to "greet each other with a holy kiss". () However, today during the "kiss of peace" ritual members will substitute a handshake, hug, or kiss on the cheek as a sign of mutual forgiveness.
Kissing of feet is an important Christian religious ritual.
Feet washing
Maundy (from Old French ''mandé'', from Latin ''mandatum'' meaning "command"), or Washing of the Saints' Feet, Washing of the Feet, or Pedelavium or Pedilavium, is a religious rite observed by various Christian denominations. The Latin word ...
, which precedes the kissing, is a sign of humility
and is looked upon as an "act of lowly service, of loving service, and of self-giving service." Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and then commanded them to "wash one another's feet" (John 13:12) with love and humbleness as a service through which one can express "the love of God and the saving, cleansing grace of our savior Jesus Christ to each other." After cleansing, a kiss would be bestowed on the feet as an act of servitude. By performing the actions of the lowliest servant, Jesus demonstrated what kind of servant-based leadership was expected from his disciples.
Judas was said to have betrayed Jesus with a kiss - condemning him to death.
Kissing the pope's ring
Kissing the
Ring of the Fisherman
The Ring of the Fisherman (Latin: ''Anulus piscatoris''; Italian: ''Anello Piscatorio''), also known as the Piscatory Ring, is an official part of the regalia worn by the Pope, who is head of the Catholic Church and successor of Saint Peter, who wa ...
(in Italian, the ''pescatorio'') is a centuries-old
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
tradition. Each newly elected Pope is given a gold ring with his name in raised lettering and the image of St. Peter in a fishing boat. The title Pope (Latin: papa; from Greek: πάππας pappas, a child's word for father) is an informal name for the bishop of Rome, the first of whom was believed to be the apostle Peter, who was known as one of the "fishers of men" (). Originally the ring was used to seal documents, historically called papal briefs. However, this custom ended in 1842 when the wax seal was replaced by a stamp. Today, Roman Catholics pay respect to the reigning Pope by kneeling before him and kissing his ring.
Kissing a bishop's ring
Kissing the hand or
ring of a bishop (in Italian, the ''baciamano'') is an ancient custom.
See also
*
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
*
Traditions
References
Bibliography
*Fillpot, Elise. Ellis Island Histor
"Ellis Island History"2002. Retrieved 7 May 2007
*Clark, Carol L. Ph
"Revisited Ellis Island"1 July 2001. Retrieved 7 May 2007
Retrieved 7 May 2007
*ARAMARK
"Ellis Island Museum"Retrieved 7 May 2007
*Galvin, Edward L
2007. Retrieved 7 May 2007
Retrieved 7 May 2007
*Syracuse Universit
2006. Retrieved 7 May 2007
*Mikkelson, Barbara
"New Year's Superstitions"30 December 2006. Retrieved 9 May 2007
*Blarney Castle: The Home of the Blarney Ston
"Welcome!"2006. Retrieved 9 May 2007
*Gray, Martin. Blarney Stone, Cork, Irelan
2006. Retrieved 9 May 2007
*Cork Guide
"Blarney Ireland"23 January 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2007
Retrieved 9 May 2007
Yans-McLaughlin, Virginia. Kissing PostRetrieved 15 May 2007
On KissingRetrieved 15 May 2007
External links
{{Wiktionary, kiss someone's ring
More Kissing GamesPecking OrderWhat’s so Hard About Getting Kissed on New Years (for the romantics!)
Traditions
Traditions