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Does the greeting kiss was invented by the French?

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Does the greeting kiss was invented by the French?

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First things first, while many Anglo-Saxons believe that kissing as a greeting is unique to France, the practice is common in a wide range of European and Latin countries, as well as Russia and certain Arabic and sub-Saharan nations.

Its origin is unknown, though there are many theories. Is it a ritualized form of ancestral behavior, like sniffing each other for recognition, or is it an emotional one arising from childhood? There’s no consensus among historians, anthropologists, and other experts of human behavior. The ritual appears to date back to antiquity and has known highs and lows throughout modern human history. Sometimes it was encouraged, other times forbidden.

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For the past 15 years or so, this ritual has been a regular subject of online debate. Some of the discussions are about how many kisses one should give. In France, the question first cropped up in 2003 with the appearance of the website Combiendebises (“Howmanykisses”). The greeting also inspired a popular video from British stand-up comedian Paul Taylor, “La bise.”

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When asked “How many kisses do you give to greet someone close to you?” the respondents were given the choice of one, two, three, four, five, or more.

In France, most residents exchange two kisses when greeting somebody, except for those in the region of Languedoc and the south of the Rhône-Alpes region. Two kisses are also customary in the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. In northern France, the areas in pink correspond to places where people still give four kisses. However, the above map indicate that in these regions the four-kiss greeting has stiff competition from the two-kiss version.

The reason behind these differences remains unknown. Tradition has it that four kisses are given so that each person can kiss each of the cheeks of the other twice.

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We can see that the territory is broadly divided into two parts. In the southeastern and eastern areas of France, it’s left cheek first. In the rest of the country, it’s the right. There are, however, two islands in each of these broad regions: In the blue zone, the French-speaking part of Switzerland stands out. In the red zone, Haute-Normandie is the exception. Here again, the patterns do not correspond to any known zones that could explain the difference.

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Do you have to 'faire la bise' if you don’t want to?

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Do you have to 'faire la bise' if you don’t want to?

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There are many reasons people might not want to faire la bise, from worries about getting sick or making someone sick, to being uncomfortable with physical contact. The good news is, while it might be hard for a French person to get out of this social exchange, as a foreigner you will probably get a pass.

This said, keep in mind that a hug does not replace la bise.  Hugging is considered more intimate than la bise in France, and it will seem like an invasion of space for most French people. There are, of course, exceptions – for instance, maybe people who know you very well. But in most cases, it’s far better to just say a nice Bonjour  than to bring it in for a hug.

Another thing that may help is to remember that la bise is not considered a sexual or dominating gesture. For the French, it’s no different than a handshake. If it helps, I’ve never had a person’s lips linger on my cheek, and since you’re not holding your bodies close, you aren’t likely to be touched inappropriately.