PageKissing Customs
Kissing has been around for many thousands of years, and it is thought that it originated in India because of
stone carvings discovered with people kissing. However, this is only one of the theories that arise today. No
matter where it originated from, it is seen almost everywhere you look today. With so many different cultures
in the world today, it is interesting to see how some view kissing.
It is thought that France was the first country to discover kissing. They called it the “soul kiss,” obviously
because it comes from the soul, but it was later called the ”French kiss” by other countries. It is still known
as French kissing today but has also taken on a number of other names like “pashing,” “snogging,” “tonsil
hockey,” “tongue dancing” and much more.
In Paris, four kisses are given to greet close family and friends starting from the left and going to the right. It is
thought that Paris was the first place to discover kissing.
Most other countries in Europe give two kisses to greet people and two kisses to say good-bye.
In Rome many years ago, the husbands came home from work and gave their wives a kiss to see whether they
had been drinking alcohol all day. It was the only way for them to tell! They didn’t think it was fair if they had
been working all day and they knew their wives wouldn’t have been doing anything if they were drunk. The
husbands also wanted to make sure their wives weren’t spending their hard-earned money on alcohol.
In a village called Sesetan, once a year they have a festival with teenagers where the girls stand on one side
of the town and the boys stand on the other. They slowly walk towards each other to the beat of a drum until
they reach each other, then they kiss. After this, they have water poured over them!
In Eskimo, Polynesian, and Malaysian cultures, rubbing noses is a form of kissing. This is usually to greet people
they know.
In some religious cultures, people thought that the breath of a leader was magical. People would join their
lips together to pass this magical breath passed to them by their leader to one another. Spectators saw this
and started to do it to each other, hoping they, too, would get these magical powers. It turned into a form of
kissing.
A long time ago, before baby food was invented, it is thought that mothers chewed their food and fed it to
their babies, just like mother birds with their chicks. It was thought of as a loving act because they were giving
them life, and the tradition continued as a way to show others they love them.
In Russia, the highest sign of recognition was to be kissed by the Tsar. Everyone would know if you had been
kissed by the Tsar and you were shown complete respect by everyone.