The universal language of the kiss has lasted for thousands of years. It has been ridiculed by poets and commentators as disgusting, venal, dirty, and worse. Popes and emperors repeatedly tried to punish practitioners. They cited moral or health-related reasons. But not even the most powerful men in the world could watch over the lips of their subjects.
The earliest literary evidence we have for kissing comes from the Vedic Sanskrit texts of India, the foundations of the Hindu religion. The Atharva-Veda describes a curious act of sniffing with the mouth, which could refer to an early type of «kissing». In Rome at the turn of the millennium, members of the population seem to have been avid mouth-to-mouth kissers. Imperial Rome introduced the practice to other parts of the world through its armed forces. It was one of the first cases in which the kiss spread along with European culture.
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was squirming about certain types of kissing behaviors and where they might lead. In 17th-century Germany, a scholar named Martin von Kempe composed an encyclopedia of kisses. It spans 1,040 pages and is intended to exhaust the topic, including a description of more than 20 types of kisses. Around the same time, Germans also came up with categories of legal and illegal kissing. In the Industrial Revolution, the hand kiss became popular in England and eventually became the handshake. The kisses had begun to permeate much of the world.
The universal language of the kiss today
In the modern world, kissing is extremely popular, perhaps more than at any other time in human history. We celebrate iconic kiss photos or admire artistic kisses, as in Gustav Klimt’s painting. We can’t forget unexpected kisses, like the ones Al and Tipper Gore shared during the 2000 Democratic National Convention. But that’s just the beginning. The MTV Video Music Awards memorably featured Michael Jackson kissing Lisa Marie Presley; and then Madonna kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Later, Sacha Baron Cohen brought us Borat, a character who manages to kiss almost everyone he meets.
These moments made headlines around the world with images that will be discussed for decades. Perhaps because they are reminders that celebrities, icons, and leaders are not that different from us. We can vary in skin tone, language and customs, but in regions around the world kissing has become perhaps the most universal and humanizing practice that we share.
The kisses according to the regions of the world
In today’s latitudes and longitudes, there is a wide spectrum of what is acceptable and appropriate when it comes to kissing. Each region has different tastes and cultural norms. Let’s start in France, home of the «French kiss,» which entered the English vocabulary in 1923. The precise reason we use this term is unknown. It is possible that he adopted because American travelers were impressed by the caring nature of French women.
Greeting kisses on the cheeks are common among genders in France and many other parts of the world to express warmth and respect. These kisses are common from Spain to the Netherlands, Portugal, Argentina, Haiti, Mexico, Switzerland, Belgium, Egypt, and Lebanon. The greeting generally involves air kisses one to three times. It is generally more the contact of the cheeks than the contact of the lips.
In other places, public displays of affection are not as popular. In Finland, kissing is generally considered a private exchange. UK citizens are also more likely to nod or shake hands than kiss on the face. Similarly, Italians and Germans often save kisses for those closest to them. Australians are also more likely to greet their friends with a firm handshake than a social kiss.
The universal language of the kiss is to be interpreted by those involved in the exchange. And so, the kiss persists through time, through generations and between peoples, across latitudes and longitudes. It will continue to motivate lovers, actors, writers, and all of us. No matter how it started, why we do it, or where it takes place, a kiss often celebrates perhaps the greatest emotion of all: love.