Pucker up, it’s National Kissing Day!
I had no idea that there was a day specifically dedicated to kissing. It grabbed my attention, and I did some research about the day, so you don’t have to!
The United Kingdom originally initiated the celebration of National Kissing Day on July 6th, and it became an unofficial holiday worldwide in the early 2000s.
The underlying idea behind celebrating National Kissing Day is to promote how special kissing is and how smooching is a part of many cultures around the world. Many associate kissing as an expression of love or something you do before sex. However, kissing is a formal greeting in many cultures.
In many European countries like France, it is common for people to greet each other by kissing one another’s cheeks three times. Both men and women usually give each other kisses on the lips in Greece and Italy, but the kisses are not the romantic kind. Then there is Eskimo kissing, the practice of rubbing each other’s noses while taking in each other’s breath, which is a standard in some countries. For example, Pacific Islanders use Eskmo kissing to measure compatibility between partners.
Although this celebrated day is all about kissing, sharing germs is not exactly appealing right now. Celebrate with caution. One simple kiss actually transfers about 80 million bacteria between two mouths. However, kissing helps you strengthen your immune system against germs and bacteria. If you don’t want to take the risk, there are other fun ways to celebrate.
Hershey’s Kisses are as sweet as an actual kiss. A Hershey’s kiss contains twenty-six calories, which takes five minutes of walking to burn off. How sweet is that? Here are a few samples of how to incorporate the delicious treats:
- Love Notes
- Write a sweet note. Tell the person how you love and appreciate him or her.
- You can tape the kisses to a piece of paper.
- Don’t Kiss and Tell Scavenger Hunt
- If you enjoy playing games create a fun, tasty scavenger hunt.
- You can do it inside or outside.
- You can make up many clues or riddles you want. For example, “Where was our first kiss?”
- Just remember to keep the candy up and away from pets and babies. Don’t leave the chocolate in the sun for long.
- At the end, you can do a surprise. For instance, a hunt that leads to a romantic bubble bath.
- Kissing The Artist
- If you like being creative and crafty, you’d enjoy creating cute images or sayings with the candies.
- Size doesn’t matter. You can make a small heart or a pair of lips.
- You can trace a picture or use letter stencils.
- Hide it somewhere that surprises the person or display it nicely on something sturdy.
If eating chocolate isn’t appealing to you, you could always snuggle up and watch movies that have iconic kissing scenes such as The Notebook. However you celebrate National Kiss Day, do it with love!
Featured Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash