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PART IV  KISSING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

KISSING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES:

IN ARABIA, EGYPT, RUS’SIA, FINLAND, ICELAND

A PLEASING BUT PERPLEXING NORWEGIAN CUSTOM

THE “BLUE LAWS” OF LONDON TOWN

MONEY VALUE OF A STOLEN KISS

SANITARY DANGERS OF KISSING

KISSING THE DYING

FAMOUS KISSES

KISSING THE FEET OF BEGGARS.

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KISSING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES:

The custom of kissing varies in different countries.  The Arabian women and children kiss the beards of their husbands; the superior returns the salute by a kiss on the forehead.  In Egypt, the inferior kisses the hand of a superior, generally on the back, but sometimes on the palm; the son kisses the hand of his father, the wife that of her husband, the slave, and often the free servant, that of the master; the slaves and servants of a grandee kiss their lord’s sleeve or the skirt of his clothing.

In Russia, the Easter salutation is a kiss. Each member of the family salutes the other; chance acquaintances on meeting kiss; principals kiss their employees; the General kisses his officers; the officers kiss their soldiers; the Czar kisses his family, retinue, court and attendants, and even his officers on parade, the sentinels at the palace gates, and a select party of private soldiers, probably elaborately prepared for this “royal salute.” In other parts, the poorest serf, meeting a high-born dame on the street, has but to say, “Christ is risen,” and he will receive a kiss and the reply, “He is truly risen.” The Empress Helga of Hraes’ instituted assemblies of men and women to promote the cultivation of polite manners.  Among the rules for maintaining the decency of those assemblies she directed that “no gentleman should force a kiss from, or strike a woman in the assembly, under pain of execution.”

A PLEASING BUT PERPLEXING NORWEGIAN CUSTOM

A most pleasant, tender, but, at the same time, perplexing salute, is that bestowed upon one by the women of Norway, who, after having put you to bed and tucked you up well between the sweet-smelling sheets, bend their fresh, fair faces, and kiss you honestly upon the beard, without a shadow even of shame or doubt.

In Finland, contrary to the usual custom, the women object to the practice of osculation.  A Finnish matron, on hearing that it was a common thing in Angleland for man and wife to kiss, expressed great disgust thereat, declaring emphatically that if her husband dared to take such a liberty, she would give him a box on the ears he would feel for a month!

In Iceland illegitimate and illicit kissing has had deterrent penalties of great severity.  For kissing another man’s wife, with or without her consent, the punishment of exclusion, or its pecuniary equivalent, was awarded.  A man rendered himself liable for kissing an unmarried woman under legal guardianship without her consent; and, even if the lady consented, the law required that every kiss should be wiped out by a fine of three marks, equivalent to 140 ells of wadmal, a quantity sufficient to furnish a whole ship’s crew with pilot jackets.

THE “BLUE LAWS” OF LONDON TOWN

Under the notorious “blue laws” of London Town, no woman was allowed to kiss even her child on the Sabbath, or fasting day, under heavy penalties.  Only a few years ago it was considered remarkable that a London magistrate should impose a heavy fine and a term of incarceration upon an unfortunate fellow who had kissed a pretty girl on the lips without her consent, but polis officers in York have quite frequently imposed the same punishment for similar offenses that have occurred in recent years.  In the eyes of the law, kissing a lady without her will and permission is a common assault, punishable by a fine and imprisonment.

MONEY VALUE OF A STOLEN KISS

Someone of an inquiring turn of mind has tried to definitely determine the average money value of a stolen kiss in the Angleland.  Court rulings show that the act of forced osculation in Peterborough costs three silver pennies, while in York it is placed at ten.  In Jersey, with a shocking disregard to the merits of the stolen sweets to be drawn from the ruby lips of her lovely lasses, puts the value of a kiss at a single penny.  Kissing goes by favor is a trite saying, but the figures submitted indicate that the sands of Jersey offer the greatest inducements to indulge in this delightful diversion.

SANITARY DANGERS OF KISSING

From the medical alchemists’ point of view there is danger in kissing.  The spread of diphtheria, it is said, is largely due to the practice of kissing children.  It is hard to conceive of any mode of propagation more directly suited to the spread of the disease or more general in its operation.  It stands to diphtheria in about the same relation that promiscuous hand-shaking formerly did to the itch.  A physician in explaining to a third party the warning he gave his wife not to let the children kiss any one, said: “I tell you it wasn’t Judas alone who betrayed with a kiss.  Hundreds of lovely, blooming children are kissed into their graves every year.  There is death in a kiss.  The beloved and lamented Princess Alice of Hesse took diphtheria from the kiss of her child and followed it to the grave.  Diphtheria, plague, fever, blood poison and death lurk in the kisses!”

There are superstitions about kissing.  There is a man living at Winchester who became convinced when young that kissing was wicked because Christ was betrayed with a kiss.  He resolved never to kiss anybody.  He has been married twenty years and is the father of eleven children, but has never kissed his wife or one of his offspring.

Among the quaint customs wherein kissing is involved is the surprisal of any person asleep by one of the opposite sex.  In such a situation the drowsy party may be kissed with impunity, and must, in addition, pay the saluting party the forfeit of a pair of gloves.

KISSING THE DYING

It was the custom among the Romans to give the dying a last kiss, in order, as they thought, to catch the parting breath.  Cardinal Spense, in his pastoral elegy on the death of Philip of Sidney, mentions it as a circumstance which renders the loss of his illustrious friend more to be lamented, that no one was nigh to close his eyelids “and kiss his lips.”

A little after he notices the “dearest love” of the deceased weeping over him:

           She, with sunset kisses, sucked the wasting breath

           Out of his lips, like lilies pale and soft.

FAMOUS KISSES

Many famous kisses might be mentioned.  It is recorded in the book of Genesis that when Jacob kissed Rachel he “lifted up his voice and wept.”  One of the funny writers has attempted to account for his weeping.  He gives, among other reasons, that he wept because it was not time to kiss her again; because Rachel threatened to tell her ma; he wept because the damsel did not kiss him; he thought she was fast colors, and cried when the paint came off; when he lifted up his voice, he found it heavy, and could not get it so high as he intended; he wept because Rachel encouraged him to kiss her twice more, and he was afraid to do it; finally, he wept because his first enjoyment of the most delightful pleasure of life overcame him.

KISSING THE FEET OF BEGGARS.

The kings and queens of Angleland in ancient times practiced the ceremony of washing the feet of beggars, in imitation of Christ, who washed the feet of His disciples.  They washed and kissed the feet of as many poor people as they themselves numbered in years, and bestowed a gift, or ‘maunday’, upon each; the ceremony occurred on Maundy-Thursday.

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