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Just think of being in front of a warm cracking with you partner in your hands,
with a kiss and a cuddle. But have you ever thought about why people kiss? It
could be a greeting or a sign of affection, but we all kiss.
Origin of the kiss
The strangest theory on the history of the kiss that I have heard finds its
roots in the age of the cave man. It is thought that in primitive times that a
mother pre-chewed the food for her baby and transferred it 'in a kiss'.
Although this could never be proved, it would explain why the kiss is a sign of
affection, between mother and child and latter, adults.
Another theory that I found was that the kiss was reflected in the Ziller Valley
of Central Europe, where the exchange of pre-chewed tobacco between a male and
a female was common. The young man would let a tip of the piece of tobacco, or
spruce resin, etc rest between his closed teeth and invite the girl to grasp it
with her teeth -- which of course obliged her to press her mouth firmly on that
of the young man -- and pull it out. If a girl accepted the wad of pre-chewed
tobacco, it meant she returned the boy's love.
The third theory that I found was from a religious or sacred origin. There have
been examples from around the world as early as 2000 BC, that show that people
could have brought their faces together to symbolise spiritual union. Even in
the culture of Indians, it was believed that the exhaled breath was part of the
soul, and by two people bringing their mouths together, showed the joining of
their souls. (Another variation on this believed that kissing evolved from the
smelling of a companion's face as an act of greeting.)
Kiss through history
Even without fully knowing where the kiss came from, it is well known that the
kiss has been with us for a long time.
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In the sixth century in France, dancing was one way to display affection, but
every dance was ended in a kiss.
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Apparently, Russia was the first to incorporate the kiss into the marriage
ceremony, where a promise was sealed with a kiss.
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The Romans kissed to greet each other. On Roman emperor showed a persons
importance, by what part of his body they were allowed to kiss, from the cheek
to the foot.
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In 16th century England, the clove-studded apple originated. An apple was
prepared by piercing it with as many cloves as the fruit could hold and then a
maid then carried the apple through the fair till she spied a lad she thought
worth kissing. She would offer him the apple, and once he'd selected and chewed
one of the cloves, they would share a kiss. After that, the apple passed into
the man's possession, and he would venture off in search of another lass to
continue the game with.
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At one stage it was even thought that people found kissing pleasurable because
when the two lips met during kissing, an electric current was generated.
A kiss is a kiss
Now days, kisses range from small pecks on the cheeks as a greeting, to an the
use of the lips and tongue as a sign of passion. It is that action that when
two people embrace, causes hormones are released into the blood stream,
inducing a sense of euphoria that you feed in the sweetness of your lovers
mouth.
It's a kiss that brings every fibre of your being alive, turns your stomach
over, sends Goosebumps up your spine. It's a kiss that forgives your
misdemeanours and smiles at your mistakes. Ingrid Bergman puts it together in
that "a kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words
become superfluous".
Written by staff at infoweb.co.nz.
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