November 7, 2007
Firs Kiss Week: The History of the Kiss
Written by Jenna Petersen in Jaunty Post
To celebrate first kiss week, I wanted to give you all a very brief lesson on the history of the kiss!
The term kiss derives from the Old English word cyssan. The scientific name for it is osculation. Warm and fuzzy, both. For a long time scientists thought when people touched lips it sent an electric current between them. This was later disproven and instead they determined that it was a way for us to exchange hormones. If my hormones like yours, then we’ll probably kiss some more (raises eyebrows suggestively).
The first mention of a kiss in writing was in a 1500 B.C. Indian text. Kissing wasn’t mentioned much in the Western world until the Romans came to power. Some who believe kissing is learned think they may have learned kissing from Eastern culture. But can that be right? Were people just not making out in the West before that? I can’t believe it.
In many fairytales a kiss ‘awakens’ or ‘transforms’ a character. Some famous movie kisses include Lady and Tramp in Lady and the Tramp, Buttercup and Wesley in The Princess Bride, Michael and Fredo Corleon in The Godfather: Part 2 (the kiss of death), the beach kiss in From Here to Eternity, Rhett and Scarlet in Gone With the Wind.
So, what is your favorite book, movie or art kiss? And can you REALLY believe that Westerners didn’t kiss before Roman times? I mean, really???
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Taryn Raye Says:
They might not have talked about it or wrote about it, but I have a feeling kissing has been around a LONG time, far longer than Roman times.
One of my favorite kissing scenes from a movie is in The Notebook. That was one heck of a kiss!!! LOL I even felt it! haha!
Can’t think of any others off the top of my head though(too early in the morning- brain- can’t- function-) :o)
AndreaW Says:
The Spiderman upside down kiss is pretty darn sigh-worthy . . .
Shana Galen Says:
My favorite movie kiss is when Han Solo and Princess Leia kiss in The Empire Strikes Back. I think I wore my video tape out watching that scene.
Of course people kissed before the Romans! We just don’t have records of it. Those Romans think they invented everything
Susanna Carr Says:
My favorite movie kiss is between Lucy Honeychurch and George Emerson in A Room with a View. Not only is it a beautiful scene, but the kiss changes everything for Lucy.
Clarisse Says:
I’ll go with Shana on the Star Wars kiss and add two other Harrison Ford ones: (1) the kiss that wasn’t in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Karen Allen is trying to come on to him and he falls asleep. Up to the falling asleep part that kissing session is so playfully sexy and (2) the kiss in Witness so full of desperation and longing and the hopelessness of the situation. I would also add the kiss from It’s a Wonderful Life where Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed are sharing the phone and he is overcome by a passion he does not want but cannot avoid.
catslady Says:
My all time favorite is in First Knight with Richard Gere - I promise it’s the best ever!!!!
Margo Maguire Says:
Hmmm… I can’t think what my favorite movie kiss is. The Jimmy Stewart/Donna Reed one is definitely intense. I’ll have to think about this one awhile!
Margot Blakeney Says:
I agree with catslady. The First Knight kiss is so violently passionate. Its just amazing!
Rick Says:
Wesley and Princess Buttercup!!!
Eve Says:
The near final scene of “Brides” with gorgeous Damian Lewis - achingly beautiful and quite sad.
…when two people who are destined to be together but cannot…