Summer may seem the ideal time for love, but it's really the winter months that hold a continual pattern of kissing anticipation. The Christmas season provides us with mistletoe traditions--giving "licenses to kiss"--next, New Year's Eve celebrations build to the annual "midnight kiss"--welcoming in the new, & now, Valentine's Day is upon us--inviting yet more reasons to pucker up! Whether you dread or pine for them, kisses are acts of intimacy that are difficult to hibernate from.
From the most innocent, air-blown to the most intimate, french version, forms of kissing can be traced throughout history. The first written record is from 1500 BC India, when rubbing noses was the form of affection. Undoubtedly there were others, but it wasn't for another 2,000 years that the next mile stone was recorded. The Kama Sutra provided society with the first known erotic kisses, along with specific kissing techniques. Then, during Caesar's time, friendship kisses gained & spread in popularity. This must have gotten a bit out of control, for the Roman Catholic Church actually outlawed certain smooches, in 1311. The first romantic kiss is credited to none other than the French. Medieval literature references also tell of men using the kiss to show respect, seal an agreement, etc. Let's not forget the knights who utilized the hand kiss to bring chivalry alive.
The 90's bring us a whole new realm in the genre, with the latest cyber-kisses & emoticons for virtual kisses :-* Expert, William Cane, also presents many modern-day additions to this elite collection. Several examples are: The "Lip-o-suction kiss", the "Electric kiss", & the "Candy kiss".
Order Mr. Cane's, The Art of Kissing or The Book of Kisses from my bookstore!!
Virtually all life forms use kisses. Even elephants kiss--although they do so by sticking their trunks in each other's mouths. Most human societies, fortunately, rely on the more common lip-to-lip method. In all its broad forms & meanings, kissing holds a timeless charm. Consider the following:
Fairytale Kisses:
~Sleeping Beauty
~Snow White
~The Frog Prince
Artistic Kisses:
~"The Kiss" bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin--1886
~"The Kiss" sculpture
by Constantin Brancus--1907
~"The Kiss" painting
by Gustav Klimt--1907
~"The Kiss" painting
by Roy Lichtenstein--1962
Kissing cliches:
~Sealed with a kiss
~Kiss & tell
~Kiss of death
~Kissing cousins
~Kiss off
~Kiss me, you fool
~Kiss it good bye
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