Artigenda
International Kissing Day
When: annually, July 6.
Try not to confuse World Kissing Day with Valentine’s Day. On 6 July, this is the day when kissing takes centre stage and that is World Kiss Day.
Only by mutual consent
Please note that kissing should only be done with the mutual consent of both parties involved. This is very important. The existence of a special day dedicated to kissing does not imply that it is acceptable to engage in non-consensual or forced kissing. Mutual consent is always the key factor in any physical intimacy.
International Kissing Day originates in Great Britain somewhere in the nineteenth century. The aim was to experience the kiss for what it was meant to be. With the emphasis on was, because it is different today. Not just because of changed gender roles. Also because of emancipation in the field of love. Although there is a debate about whether that is well put when it comes to acceptance.
A kiss can be an introduction to more. A relationship and beyond. What that relationship looks like is not for society to determine—not even considering that the original day was thus about gender roles and relationships that were standard then. In some cases, those still correspond today, in others they don’t. Not everyone feels a certain comfort with that. Not even with that need to kiss in public.
In public
A kiss in public, there can be heated discussions about that. First, what is a kiss and how far does it go? Who gets to decide how far the persons exchanging the kiss can go? In addition, what restrictions apply and when? Let’s face it, boundaries of acceptance and tolerance may come into play here. Again, these are all issues we may ponder on this World Kiss Day. On the other hand, it’s also just World Kiss Day. So, kissing by mutual consent is also just an option.
Good luck with this!
