How in Russia there was a custom to kiss on the lips

Most scientists believe that people borrowed kisses on the lips from birds. The process of feeding the parents of the chicks from beak to beak is very similar to kissing. No one knows exactly when people began to kiss, but the first mention of this manifestation of love and tenderness is present in ancient Indian treatises. From the Hindus, the custom was adopted by the Romans, and only then it spread around the world. But when did Rus start kissing and who taught her this?

In the days of paganism, the Slavs could not even talk about any kisses on the lips. Eyes, mouth, nose and ears were considered the most vulnerable places of a person, through which evil forces could cause damage to his soul and body. It was forbidden to touch other people's lips, because in Russia they believed that evil spirits could enter people through the mouth.

Lips had a sacred meaning, no wonder they touched a handful of earth, a banner or sacred relics was considered the most powerful oath. The violator of such a vow put himself at risk of becoming seriously ill, losing his luck in hunting, farming, trading, and even dying. And the pagans ' kisses were replaced by handshakes and hugs, which were not subject to strict restrictions.

With the advent of Christianity and for some time after, kissing was also not practiced. For the first time in Orthodoxy, they began to put their lips to the cross only in the 11th century. This was done as a sign of the unity of the believer with the spiritual world and only during church rites. The custom of kissing in everyday life appeared in Russia much later, with the arrival of foreign guests and invaders on our lands.

The first major breakthrough in the popularization of kisses was made by the Mongol-Tatar conquerors. They were the first to teach Slavs to kiss, and in the 12th century, the "French kiss" was often called "Tatar". The hordes of Tatars went back to their steppes, and the custom of expressing their feelings with a kiss remained.

In the 16th century, triple cheek kisses became a popular form of greeting. In addition, the guests kissed the hospitable hosts, and in business, the kiss became a demonstration of trust. At the same time, a kiss on the lips began to be used as a sign of love between a man and a woman.

Despite the fact that the kisses received in Russia is widespread, our reserved and God-fearing ancestors have long considered kissing on the lips a part of intimate life. Therefore, kissing in the presence of strangers was not accepted, and violators were subjected to public censure.

This attitude was maintained in Russia until the 20th century. The slight warming that began at the beginning of the last century was crossed out by the revolution. The Bolsheviks were strangers to romance and quickly attributed kissing and other displays of tenderness to the costs of bourgeois society and recognized philistinism. In Soviet cinema, passionate kisses were practically absent, and if they were, the film immediately received an age restriction.

The attitude to this universally recognized manifestation of love and tenderness changed only in the late 80's, when Perestroika broke out. The rapid, albeit belated, sexual revolution that swept through the vastness of the Union swept away taboos and prohibitions, depriving the kiss of a significant share of intimacy.