Discuss the variations in kissing behavior among three different cultures. Explain the techniques, beliefs, and purposes of kissing in each culture

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Responses should consider:
- Sexual kissing is unknown in many societies. On certain Polynesian islands, women are orgasmic and sexually active, yet kissing was unknown until Westerners and their popular films arrived.
- Many tribes across Africa and elsewhere believe that the soul enters and leaves through the mouth and that a person's bodily products can be collected and saved by an enemy for harmful purposes. In these societies, the possible loss of saliva would cause a kiss to be regarded as a dangerous gesture.
- Forms of mouth or nose contact are common, particularly the "oceanic kiss," named for its prevalence among cultures in Oceania. The Tinguians place their lips near the partner's face and suddenly inhale. Balinese lovers bring their faces close enough to catch each other's perfume and to feel the warmth of the skin, making contact as the move their heads slightly. The oceanic kiss may be varied by the placement of the nose and cheek, the vigor of the inhalation, the nature of the accompanying sounds, the action of the arms, and so on.
- The cultures of China and Japan regarded sexual proficiency as high art, but cared little for tongue-kissing. In their voluminous displays of erotica, graphic depictions of every possible sexual position, angle of intercourse, and variation of partner and setting, mouth-to-mouth kissing is conspicuous by its absence. Japanese poets have rhapsodized for centuries about the allure of the nape of the neck, but they have been silent on the mouth; kissing is acceptable only between mother and child. In Western cultures, the number of nonsexual uses of the kiss is staggering. It is used for greeting and farewell, affection, religious or ceremonial symbolism, deference to a person of high status, among other uses. People kiss icons, dice, and other objects, in prayer, for luck, or as part of a ritual. Kisses make the hurt go away, they bless the sacred vestments, or seal a bargain.