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'Cheek kissing' is a ritual or social gesture to indicate friendship, perform a greeting, to confer congratulations, to comfort someone, or to show respect. It does not necessarily indicate sexual or romantic interest. Cheek kissing is more common in Europe and Latin America than North America (except for Miami and Quebec) and Asia, especially the southern parts of Europe.
Soviet and other eastern European communist leaders often greeted each other in this fashion on public and state occasions.
Depending on the local culture, cheek kissing may be considered appropriate between a man and a woman, a parent and a child, two women, or two men. The last is socially accepted in Eastern and South Eastern Europe the Middle East but may bring up associations with homosexuality in Western Europe, Asia , Latin America and the US.
In a cheek kiss, both persons lean forward and either lightly touch cheek with cheek or lip with cheek. Generally the gesture is repeated with the other cheek, or more, alternating cheeks. Depending on country and situation the number of kisses is usually one, two, three or four. Hand-shaking or hugging may also take place.
Cheek-kissing is used in many cultures with slightly varying meaning and gesture. For example, cheek-kissing may or may not be associated with a hug. The appropriate social context for use can vary greatly from one country to the other, though the gesture might look familiar.

Contents

North America

Latin America

Southern Europe

Greece

Middle East

South East Asia

See also

North America

In the United States and Canada, the cheek kiss may involve one or both cheeks. According to March 15, 2004 edition of ''Time Magazine'', "a single kiss is acceptable [greeting] in the United States, but it's mostly a big-city phenomenon." In most relationships, the girl usually kisses the boy on the cheek. (sign of love or affection)
Cheek kissing of children by adults of both sexes is perhaps the most common cheek kiss in North America. Typically it is a short, perfunctory greeting, and is most often done by relatives.
Cheek kissing between adults, when it occurs at all, is most often done between a man and woman who know each other well, such as between relatives or close friends. In this case, a short hug (generally only upper-body contact) may accompany the kiss. Also common is cheek kissing between two women who know each other or are related. Likewise, hugs are common but not required. A hug alone may also suffice in both of these situations, and is much more common.
However, occasionally Cheek kissing is a romantic gesture, such as among a teenage boy and teenage girl.
A variant of the cheek kiss is the air kiss. This kiss is done without actually making contact with the skin, but with the lips fairly close to the cheek.
A kiss may also be blown from a distance of several feet. This is most often done as flirting, but it can also be done sarcastically.
Particularly in the Southeast, elderly women may be cheek-kissed by younger men as a gesture of affection and respect.
Immigrant groups tend to have their own norms for cheek kissing, usually carried-over from their native country.
In Miami, Florida, an area heavily influenced by Latin American and European immigrants, kissing hello on the cheek is the social norm.
In Quebec, cheek kissing is referred to as "la bise" (''faire la bise''), but actually called in a popular language as "un bec" (''donner un bec''). People of the opposite sex usually kiss once on each cheek; it is also acceptable for a pair of women, though typically men will refrain. Two people introduced by a mutual friend may also faire la bise.

Latin America

In Latin America, cheek kissing is a universal form of greeting between a man and a woman or two women.
It is not necessary to know a person well or be intimate with them to kiss them on the cheek. A cheek kiss can be accompanied by a handshake or a hug, although hugs are usually a sign of deeper trust.
As with other regions, cheek kissing may be lips-to-cheek or cheek-to-cheek with a kiss in the air, the latter being more common.
Cheek-kissing between two men is usually seen as a sign of homosexuality or femininity in most conservative countries, except father-son cases and very rarely, close friend kissing.
Other exceptions occur in Argentina and Uruguay where it's common between male friends to kiss "a la italiana", i.e. football players kiss each other to congratulate or to greet. This kind of greeting can be awkward to, say, a Colombian trying to shake hands with a new Argentinian friend who is trying to kiss him.

Southern Europe

Cheek kissing is a standard greeting throughout Southern Europe between friends. In general, men and women would kiss and women will kiss women. Men kissing men varies depending on the country and even on the family, in some countries men will kiss men, in others only men of the same family would consider kissing. It may also depend on the part of a country and the occasion.
The number of kisses also varies.
In France, it can be part of the official ceremony.

Greece

Greece is an example of a country where cheek kissing highly depends on the region and the type of event. For example, in most parts of Crete, it is common between women and a man and a woman that are friends, but very uncommon between men unless they are close relatives. In Athens it may be commonplace between close friends of both sexes when meeting or departing. It is uncommon between strangers of any sex, and it may be considered offensive otherwise. It's standard for children and parents, children and grandparents etc. In its "formal" form it will be two kisses, one on each cheek. It may be a standard formal form of greeting in special events such as weddings.

Middle East

Cheek kissing is relatively common, between friends, relatives, and lovers. Cheek kissing between males is common and does not have any homosexual connotation if performed after a long period of not having seen each other or when congratulating each other on holidays. However, cheek kissing between a male and female is usually considered inappropriate, unless within the same family; e.g. brother and sister.

South East Asia

Cheek kissing is extremely uncommon in South East Asia, esp. in countries with predominantly Muslim or Hindu cultures. It is due to this reason that kissing between men and women is not socially acceptable way of greeting and may be considered offensive. Also South East Asian men might be uncomfortable while greeting a European woman in this manner due to this cultural practice.
There are two major exceptions. In Macao, many of the residents are of Portuguese descent, and thus cheek kissing is popular in the same situations as in Portugal. Cheek kissing is also fairly common in the Philippines, as a greeting to a relative as a sign of respect; ''Beso'' is the Filipino term for this greeting.

See also

★ Kiss

★ Salute

★ Greeting habits

★ Public display of affection

★ Paschal greeting