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TueFeb 13

Kiss Day – February 13, 2024

Kiss Day is celebrated the day before Valentine’s Day on February 13 every year. It is a part of Valentine’s week celebrations. There are many types of kisses, and it is the easiest way to communicate your love for someone. You may give a friend a quick friendly peck on the cheek, or enjoy a long, passionate smooch with your partner. Kiss Day celebrates the affection between people and the role of kisses in cultures across the world. Celebrate Kiss Day the way it is meant to be celebrated, with pecks and kisses!

History of Kiss Day

Just like a picture can say more than a thousand words, a kiss can express what more than a thousand words may not be able to in a tender relationship. When you kiss a person with love — whether a peck on the cheek, an air kiss with the cheeks pressed together, or a full-blown French kiss, it is the perfect way to represent your care and affection.

We celebrate Kiss Day every February 13, and it is a good time to remember that romantic kissing isn’t the only kind of kissing! There are many kinds of kisses that are exchanged in traditions across the world. Among high society, it is quite common and perfectly acceptable to greet with a kiss on each cheek, a tradition that goes way back before the New World was even discovered. It is also common to kiss young children as a show of affection.

Kissing has played an important role in social bonding and converting affection without having to say anything. Celebrating Kiss Day is so easy! All you have to do is give a kiss to your partner, friends, family, and your pets! Nowadays, most people spend their time in front of a screen, and people are becoming lonelier — a kiss might be all we need to bridge the gaps that have emerged from our busy lifestyles.

Lucky for us, kissing has many health benefits, too! Both mental health and physical well-being are important, and kissing benefits both. You might not know this, but kissing can burn up to 6.4 calories per minute. Who needs the gym when you can kiss often? Another great thing about kissing is how it transcends cultural norms. Everybody loves a kiss, regardless of the country or customs. It is a universal language of expressing love — and when language fails, a kiss will come to your rescue!

Kiss Day timeline

1500 B.C.
The First Recorded Kiss

Kisses are recorded in Vedic Sanskrit scriptures from India.

1311
Forbidden Kisses

At the Council of Vienna, Pope Clement V forbids using the kiss as a gesture of peace in the Holy Mass.

1896
“The Kiss”

May Irwin and Joe Rice give the first on-screen movie kisses to each other in this movie.

20th — 21st Century
Kiss Day Comes After International Kiss Day

International Kissing Day spreads worldwide in the 2000s, and Kiss Day is started not long after.

20th — 21st Century
Valentine's Week Begins

Valentine's week becomes a trend in 2018, and couples now eagerly wait to kiss their beloved six days from the beginning of the special week.

2014
Open-Mouth Kissing

The French add the word ‘galocher’ to French dictionaries to refer to open-mouth kissing.

Kiss Day FAQs

Is Kiss Day the same as International Kissing Day?

July 6 is International Kissing Day, and unlike Kiss Day, it has no relation to Valentine’s week.

Why do we celebrate Kiss Day?

The day is celebrated before Valentine’s Day — on February 13 and is about kissing your sweetheart to shower them with attention and affection.

How do you wish on Kiss Day?

The best way to wish your partner on Kiss Day is to tell them why you love kissing them and then proceed to kiss them.

Why do we kiss on the lips?

Kissing triggers your brain to release a cocktail of chemicals that leave you feeling good by igniting the brain’s pleasure centers. 

How long does a kiss last?

Today, an average kiss lasts more than 12 seconds.

Kiss Day Activities

  1. Kiss your beloved

    Kiss the love of your life in the most tender but intimate way when you meet. Whether it's a peck, an air kiss, a touch on the forehead, or a liplock, make sure that it reflects your affection. Let your feelings seep into the kiss and make it memorable for both of you.

  2. Reminisce about your first kiss

    If you are single on Kiss Day, reminisce about your first kiss. Think about the time when you were perhaps clumsy and didn't know how to handle it. If it was a comical situation, just thinking about it will bring a smile to your lips.

  3. Switch up your style

    On Kiss Day, try switching up your kissing style. Experiment with something new or revisit a kissing style that you do not practice anymore. It could be fun to experiment with your partner!

5 Fun Facts About Kissing

  1. The longest kiss ever lasted 58 hours

    The duration of the longest kiss ever recorded by the Guinness Book of Records was 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds.

  2. The longest movie kiss recorded

    During “Elena Undone,” Necar Zadegan and Traci Dinwiddie kiss for three minutes, 23 seconds.

  3. Some people fear the act of kissing

    The fear of kissing, known as Philemaphobia, exists, and it occurs among inexperienced and first-time kissers.

  4. French kissing began during World War I

    French Kissing started during World War I after British and American soldiers kissed their wives passionately after returning home.

  5. Choose a side

    Researchers have found that, when kissing, two out of three people tilt their heads to the right.

Why We Love Kiss Day

  1. A kiss is the best way to express your affection

    Studies demonstrate that displays of physical attention are the best way to express affection when you are in love. Kissing is the most natural form of showering physical attention. It is a great way to show you care. On Kiss Day, you can pucker up some more to rack up the relationship points.

  2. It’s good for health

    Kissing releases dopamine, helps burn calories, strengthens our immune systems, and is generally good for our health. Who would not want to celebrate Kiss Day — the reasons in its favor are so many!

  3. It keeps the spark in the relationship intact

    Kissing releases oxytocin in the brain, which lowers anxiety levels and increases trust among the partners. It creates a feel-good environment for a relationship. So, on Kiss Day, even if purely to honor pop tradition, kiss and see the benefits accrue.

Kiss Day dates

YearDateDay
2024February 13Tuesday
2025February 13Thursday
2026February 13Friday
2027February 13Saturday
2028February 13Sunday

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