“The anatomical juxta-position of two orbicular is oris muscles in a state of contraction.”
“Kiss is a touch or a caress with the lips.”
“Stolen sweets are sweeter,
Stolen kisses much completer,
Stolen looks are nice in chapels,
Stolen, stolen be your apples.”
Sam’s kiss was lost in jest,
Robin’s was lost in the rest,
But the kiss in Collin’s eyes,
Haunts me at night and sun rise.
So sweet love seemed that April morn,
When we had kissed besides the thorn,
So strangely sweet, it was not strange,
Let us hope that our love never change.
On her white breast a sparkling locket she wore,
Which we might kiss and many may adore,
If to her share some error fall,
Look on her and you will forget all.
Give me a kiss, and to that kiss, a score,
And to that twenty add a hundred more,
Add a thousand to that hundred so kiss on,
To make that thousand to a million,
Treble that million and when it is done,
Let us kiss a fresh when we first begun.
Her kiss through a veil, hit me like a nail.
Drink me only with thy eyes,
Here hang those lovely lips,
I know not how often we had kissed,
but I say, a day was never missed.
I understand thy kisses, and thou mine,
And it is sure the feeling of love divine.
Kissing as a form of greeting or salutation has a long history in Western civilization, with references dating back to the Old Testament, the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the Germanic peoples.
Early Christians greeted one another with a kiss, and this "holy kiss" still figures in Roman Catholic rituals; for example, a bishop kisses a newly ordained priest and is himself kissed when he is consecrated. Medieval knights were kissed after being dubbed, and the custom of kissing the bride remains almost universal in Western marriage ceremonies. Kissing in public for purposes of salutation thus has a long history in the West.
It was rarely practiced in East Asia, however, where bowing was the all-purpose form of
greeting, and kissing was restricted to moments of private intimacy between the sexes.
Under Western influence, kissing in public gradually became more common in Japan and China in the late 20th century.
Kissing as a display of affection between the sexes has taken various forms in non-Western cultures. Among the Eskimos and traditional Polynesian societies, a kiss involved rubbing noses with each other.
In south-eastern India and among the Sami of Europe, the nose is pressed against the other person's cheek while the active partner inhales.
Deep kissing, in which the tongue is used to explore the other person's mouth, usually occurs in an erotic context, either to express affection or as a means of sexual arousal. Among primates, kissing as an inducement to sexual readiness is unique to humans and has probably arisen from the latter's upright posture, face-to-face communication, and the availability of the arms for clasping.
Gestures and bodily movements play an important part in religious ritual and in the religious conduct of man. Such behaviour derives its meaning from its relationship to the holy.
The gesture of blessing may imitate a symbolic form, such as that of the cross in Christianity. Here the position of the fingers is regulated and has a special meaning, as is also true in the Hindu and Buddhist practice mudras.
Stroking, thrusting, striking, pushing, waving, and hand clapping also can be symbolical gestures. By raising his hands in prayer, the worshipper approaches the realm of the heavenly gods; by kneeling, the realm of the underworld.
This apparently was the original meaning of kneeling before it became an expression of humility. The bow as an intimated gesture generally indicates respect. The kiss and the embrace, and sometimes also the actions of breathing or spitting upon someone or anointing a person with spittle, were originally magical manipulations.
The holy kiss, whether practiced or only verbally depicted, plays an important part in many religions. Standing is a posture of respect; sitting expresses the reception and acceptance of the sacred word or teaching. It is also the position for meditation as it is practiced in Buddhist monasteries. Symbolic gestures may be either individually or collectively performed.
