Everyone has had an experience of being physical with other people, one way or another. And being physical with a kiss has always been a different kind of experience. That is because every kiss has a different significance and meaning. The same is the case with a cheek kiss. It portrays something unique, something emotional and fiery that other types of kisses don’t.
Table of Contents
- 1 What Is The Origin of Cheek Kiss?
- 2 Kiss On Cheek – How Does It Vary?
- 3 What Does A Kiss On The Cheek Mean From A Guy?
- 4 Can You Get Herpes From A Kiss On The Cheek?
- 5 How To Kiss On The Cheek? 5 Effective Tips.
- 6 4 Things To Take Care of In a Cheek Kiss
- 7 How Will COVID-19 Affect The Tradition of Cheek Kiss
- 8 Conclusion
Kissing is always done to convey your feelings to the other person or invoke a reaction from them. Kissing always has a purpose. However, the interpretation can be done based on how you have been kissed, where has it been done and who has done it.
As for the cheek kiss (or the platonic kiss), it has a lot of significance. It can mean one thing to kiss your friends or partner and another when you are kissing your family members or strangers. When a family member kisses you on the cheek, it reflects a strong bond of love, affection, and connection.
What Is The Origin of Cheek Kiss?
The origins of the cheek kiss are unknown. There is no consensus among historians and human behavior experts as to where exactly the cheek kiss originated from. A cheek kiss probably follows a pattern of human behavior where humans used to sniff each other closely for recognition.
Andy Scott, a diplomat, mentioned that St. Paul had instructed his followers to greet each other with a holy kiss. This holy kiss eventually evolved into a cheek kiss with time and became popular in many Christian communities.
It was adopted by the elite class from the lower class people in the past. When the poor people started migrating to the urban settlements, this trend also moved to the cities along with such people. It was customary for the people to kiss the travelers on their cheeks during the meetups.
Kiss On Cheek – How Does It Vary?
A cheek kiss may mean something different when it is done in different parts of the world. It’s about the intent and the feelings that you are conveying.
The number of cheek kisses upon greeting depends on the region you are in. It may even vary from region to region in the same country.
Let’s get to know how many cheek kisses one should expect to receive and give in different parts of the world.
One Cheek Kiss upon Greeting:
You should expect only a single peck or a soft kiss on your cheek in Latin American countries like Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru, and the Philippines. Most of the people only go for one cheek kiss in Belgium (most of the regions).
Two Cheek Kisses upon Greeting:
Expect to get two cheek kisses if you are in European countries like Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, and South American countries like Brazil and some Middle Eastern regions (not between opposite genders). In Greece, cheek kisses are often followed by a soft, enthusiastic slap on the back. In the Middle Eats, people often touch noses with each other as well.
Three Cheek Kisses Upon Greeting:
Sometimes, three kisses on the cheeks are accompanied by a hug, like in Russia. However, the greeting would only include three cheek kisses in Belgium (some regions), Serbia, Netherlands, Egypt, Macedonia, and Slovenia.
What Does A Kiss On The Cheek Mean From A Guy?
Every kiss has a hidden meaning. Kissing someone isn’t a random act, it follows a thought process of wanting to show affection or respect. A cheek kiss, whether it is on the right cheek or the left cheek, is sometimes very significant and the right way to show what you are feeling.
Remember, a kiss on the cheek is way different than a kiss on the lips. A cheek kiss promotes a strong feeling and strengthens the bond between the people doing it.
Here are 4 things a kiss on the cheek from a guy would mean.
1. A Sign of Harmony & Compliance
At times, a kiss on the cheek may mean that you are willing to comply or follow a pact. Apart from a mere gesture of greeting, a cheek kiss between two men of authority is a sign of agreement to the complicity of rules and regulations.
It may also mean that two people have agreed to never leak a secret and promise to keep it with themselves forever. Some authoritative people take the cheek kiss very seriously as it shows that the other person is willing to follow an order or agrees to a mutual agreement.
2. A Sign of Adoration & Affection
A kiss on the cheek is a sign of intense affection. It reflects pure emotions. Some people even consider it more powerful than a kiss on the lips.
If you are going on your first date, kissing your partner on the cheek may prove to be much more convincing and fruitful if you want to show your feelings and love.
A cheek kiss can also be done with your family members without being suspicious or creepy. When your mother or your grandmother kisses your cheeks, it’s nothing romantic but a show of affection and paternal love.
However, the duration of the kiss on the cheek should be different in every situation. For example, if you are kissing your partner on the cheek, you would place your lips a little longer on their cheek to show your affectionate feelings. This can be followed by a short hug to show that you mean it.
If you are kissing your friend’s cheek, you would do it in a second without having your lips linger on their cheeks for longer. After all, you won’t want to give any wrong impressions.
3. A Sign of Assurance & Support
A non-invasive kiss to show support can do wonders. When you are going through any tough situations, your partner kissing your cheeks can give you a lot of assurance. A cheek kiss in such situations shows that someone cares about you and is ready to support you through thick and thin.
Such a kiss should be done before or after a quick, reassuring hug.
This type of cheek kiss does not portray any physical needs or sexual desires. Hence, it just conveys the feelings of support and shows that you would always be present by their side in their difficult times.
A French kiss would not be feasible in situations where the other person is going through a rough patch as this may seem to be disrespectful. A cheek kiss would be perfect to show support respectfully in that scenario.
4. A Warm Greeting
The cheek kiss is common and even fundamental in many parts of the world when people are greeting their friends, colleagues, or even strangers. Kissing on the cheek is even followed by the national leaders of many countries.
Can You Get Herpes From A Kiss On The Cheek?
Want a simple and straightforward answer? Yes, you CAN get Herpes from a kiss on the cheek.
A kiss on the cheek, a proper tongue kiss, nose kiss, or any kind of kiss can spread Herpes. It’s as simple as that.
Herpes is generally caused by sharing any objects that have come in contact with the saliva of the affected person. During a cheek kiss, your ears and cheeks can come in contact with the micro-droplets of the saliva of the other person.
Hence is spread and transmission of Herpes is very much possible.
How To Kiss On The Cheek? 5 Effective Tips.
Deeming it necessary to do a cheek kiss isn’t an easy decision to take. It is hard to guess how the other person will behave in such a situation. There are still some tips and tricks that can make this experience worthwhile.
1. Get Ready To Face It
You should observe others first as to how exactly they are greeting each other and what is the sequence and ways to kiss the cheeks. Be confident. If you are alone and others are in for kissing on your cheeks, it may become a bit more difficult to comprehend the exact way to do it.
Just be prepared to do it without making a fuss or feeling down. If you start feeling nervous, it’s better to go for a handshake or a polite hug only, bypassing the customary cheek kiss.
2. Set It Up – Do It Properly
If you have decided to go in for a cheek kiss, make a plan in your mind. Create a road map. Follow a sequence to get it right.
- Do not rush into it. Wait patiently and go slow.
- Gently place your hand on the arm of the other person you are approaching without stretching your arms out.
- Slowly lean to your left without bumping into their face or shoulder. This way, your right cheek would almost be touching the other person’s right cheek.
- If you are in Italy, lean to the right so that your left cheek is closer.
- Rest your cheek against the cheek of the other person and blow a kiss. Do this for the number of times you are required to kiss, depending upon the region.
- Do not get loud while blowing a kiss against the cheeks. You won’t want the other person to get uncomfortable.
3. Know the Number of Kisses You Would Get
The number of kisses in every region of the world has been mentioned above in this article. You should know how many kisses you would get in your respective regions.
Kissing the cheeks twice is common in France, Spain, and Italy, while doing it once or thrice is customary in other places. If you don’t know exactly how many you should be expecting or how many cheek kisses you should be giving, go for a quick kiss on each cheek.
4. Do Not Touch the Cheek With Your Lips
A cheek kiss involves resting your cheek against the cheek of the other person in parallel and kissing the air close to their ears.
Do not actually kiss the other person squarely on the cheek. It may not feel hygienic or comfortable to the other person if both of you are meeting for the first time.
5. Be Confident and Ready To Do It Again
A cheek kiss demands confidence. Once you get to know how exactly to do it, you will be able to kiss the cheek without overthinking anything or getting nervous about it.
Be cool, be calm and remember the cultural background. This will do wonders in making you go for the cheek kiss with utmost confidence and serenity.
4 Things To Take Care of In a Cheek Kiss
Now that you already know how to kiss a cheek properly, here are a few things that you should keep in mind while going in for this kind of greeting.
1. Don’t Worry If You Don’t Get It Right
Offering your right cheek for others to kiss is the most common way to do it. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right for the first time. It could become something for both of you to laugh at and gain confidence from.
2. Avoid Physical Contact of Lips
A cheek kiss is not like a French kiss or any other physical kiss. Your lips would not actually be touching the skin or body part of the other person. It’s more like an air kiss where you just blow a kiss while your cheeks are touching lightly.
3. Do Not Initiate If You Are Under-Confident
If you are not confident about doing it right or doing it at all, watch what the local people are doing. Follow their lead. Don’t go for it if somebody else doesn’t initiate it first.
4. Know About The Local Customs
In most of the countries where cheek kiss is common, men do not kiss other men on the cheeks (except in Argentina, Serbia, and some parts of Italy). This practice is more common among women, or between men and women. However, in Middle Eastern regions, cheek kissing between opposite genders is generally avoided and would be more welcomed if done by two men.
How Will COVID-19 Affect The Tradition of Cheek Kiss
The pandemic has changed the way of living for people all over the world. It has got some customs to be abandoned and others to be adopted.
The most common and widely shared instances have been of the world leaders greeting each other with a cheek kiss. That was customary. Until COVID-19 happened due to which the people all over the world had to limit the physical contact with each other.
Picard, a French author, said that “We are a culture of contact. But I suspect that a lot of people are going to stop kissing each other”. This is going to be the case in every country. For instance, Italy remained a hot-spot for Coronavirus transmission for a long time. The fear of spreading the virus has made people unsure about the ways of greetings in many parts of Italy.
Now that people are supposed to distance themselves from each other socially, the tradition of cheek kisses is bound to take a hit. Wearing face masks would make people further refute and refrain from greeting with kisses on the cheeks.
This will probably go on at least until everyone in the world has been sufficiently vaccinated and the threat of the Coronavirus has completely subsided.
Conclusion
To conclude it all, a cheek kiss is a very sweet and romantic gesture if done between a boy and a girl. It shows affection when it is done with the family members and reflects utmost respect when done with the strangers as a greeting.
Make sure to be gentle and mindful of the duration and the intensity as you would not like your intentions to be misunderstood.
Once you know how to do it right, you can venture into other types of kisses.
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