History of Kissing

Kissing, the most intimate expression of love finds its roots in early history. India, the true land of sensuality and erotica was the first country where kissing has been found to be existent. If you look at the ancient forms and carvings of statues of gods in all the amorous positions in temples of Khajurao in India, you will know where lip-locking found its origins in. Sanskrit texts from India dated back to 1500BC, has enough materials to prove the subsistence of kissing in their stories. The Kamasutra, treatise on love, has listed in it a variety of kissing techniques which have ‘steamed’ through the test of time. The Bible has as much as 46 kisses in it. Contradictory to the Christian view, which held that sexual intercourse was for procreation, the Kamasutra was about pure sexual pleasure, as a means and as an end by itself. Kissing has a major role in Kamasutra and the erotica was called the seat of earthly beauty. You will find the best tips in kissing in the Kamasutra. It says that kissing, biting softly, clawing, squeezing, scratching and tickling should be done with moderation and done in tandem during the sexual act. It also talks about kissing and arousing the highly sensitive erogenous zones like the vagina, the nipple, the thighs and the subtle erogenous zones like the hands, the forehead, and the neck with the force and intensity of the kiss.

Kissing soon found its entry in poems, books and fables too. From Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast to Romeo and Juliet, the romantic declaration of love through kiss was epitomized. Kissing also found its existence in the Roman Empire at the nuptial kiss on the alter. It was said to represent the coming together of man and woman as one, as they exchanged the ‘breath of life’.

There was a French law which accused a woman of being guilty of adultery if she kissed or allowed herself to be kissed by any man other than husband. Quite surprisingly, in Italy, a woman who was kissed by a man in public was obligated to get married to him. The term ‘French Kiss’ came into existence when the Americans and British popularized this special and erotic type of kissing to the world. It was so that during the world war I, the French who would talk about their voracious sexual appetites and love making skills gave them a tip or two about what they called their special type of kissing. Soon after the war, the sexually frustrated English and American men displayed the same kind of kissing skills on their partners and called it the ‘French Kiss’. The term was actually coined in 1923 and it was associated with slander or slang of a sexual nature on the French culture.

Apart from being a romantic representation, kissing was also used for reverence and honoring contractual agreements. During the medieval times in Europe, there was a tradition to kiss on the ground or on the foot of religious figures. Some parts of the world still have the culture going on. This is where the phrase "I kiss the ground you walk on" originated. The kiss was used to seal lawful contracts between men. If one did not know how to sign on their name, they would draw an "X" on the signature line, and then kiss on it. This would represent the contract as binding.

Coming to present times, kissing has been flaunted in almost all corners of the world as means of reverence, respect, love, sexual attraction and even greeting through out history. Kissing has been an essential part in movies and media. However, the original land of kissing, India lost its ‘kissing touch’ in due course. Though it had started the ancient art of lip locking, smooching and display of sexual affection in public is regarded as taboo in rural parts of India, Pakistan. The Bollywood, the second largest movie industry in the world after Hollywood has started showing lip-locking in their movies since the past couple of years. Kissing and the exhibition of amorous love took a backseat in India after the nation plunged into debt, economic slavery and dependence in the hands of the British. The nation took a stoic move to protect their daughters and wives, and started the purdah or ‘gunghat system’ which kept the womenfolk away from the leering eyes of males. The women were married to the men of the choice of their parents in the garb of protecting their caste and religion. In all these matters, romanticizing of love and kissing took a backseat or repressed. Of course, things are different now, with modernization and globalization taking the country by storm especially in metropolitan cities and people coming from their closet, women acquiring their own economic independence and global exposure. Kissing has arrived and is here to stay.  Time will only tell what the future will say when looking back, about the history of kissing.