Advertisement

Is it the end of the two-kiss greeting in Spain?

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Is it the end of the two-kiss greeting in Spain?
Photo: AFP

To greet friends and acquaintances by kissing, hugging and shaking hands is considered part of the essence of the Spanish and Mediterranean identity.

Advertisement

But the coronavirus pandemic has put an abrupt end to such rituals with no indication of when it will be safe to resume them.

Fear of spreading the virus has upended these traditions as close physical contact suddenly became dangerous, even life-threatening.

High Covid-19 death tolls in Italy, Spain and France have transformed these traditional mannerisms, integral to the Mediterranean way of life.

"Fear of the virus comes before everything, even in a skin against skin country like Spain," said Spanish psychologist Javier Urra.

But getting used to these changes can be difficult.

"Our behaviour is a habit," Urra added.

Advertisement

The Spanish and Mediterranean tradition of greeting someone with kisses dates back to first Greek and then Roman times as both ancient civilizations adopted the gesture as a sign of affection.

More than two thousand years later, things look set to change.

"In Spain we have been told since childhood: 'Give that person a kiss'.

And suddenly the order is: 'Do not touch anyone'. It is almost unnatural," said the psychologist Urra.

The virus has "traumatised" people, according Manuel Armayones, lecturer in psychology at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Barcelona.

"We are generating a new social norm in response," he added.

"We are seeing a greater capacity to express emotions."

A 2015 study showed that 64 percent of Spanish workers greet their female counterparts with two kisses. In the photo Spain's former economic minister Luis de Guindos greets Science Minister Elena Garmendia with two kisses. Photo: AFP

A dilemma for most Mediterranean societies

Fisherman Daniel Reggio used to hail friends and colleagues with the traditional "bise" or cheek-kissing when he bumped into them in the southern French port city of Marseille.

Since the spread of Covid-19, he has resorted to elbow-bumping.

"We can't say we don't miss it, but going without it isn't going to end friendships," said Reggio, as he sold sea bream in Marseille's historic Old Port area.

The fisherman said wearing a mask has taught him to smile with his eyes "and we add words to compensate for gestures we can no longer do, like 'friend' and 'brother'," he said.

Pensioner Yvon Tapias organises walking tours in Marseille. He now greets people with the "Wuhan shake", a foot greeting that harks back to the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus first appeared.

"We touch each other with our soles," he said, pointing to the inside of his foot.

"People from the south need contact," Tapias said.

In Tunisia, actor Mohamed Werdeni said the physical greetings were part of regional traditions.

"We like to kiss each other two, three, four times, depending on the region. It's very weird to say hello like this now."

'Gut-wrenching'

Even men normally greet each other with the "bise" in Marseille.

"It's where I first kissed executives. I had never had the idea of kissing a banker before!" said the director of Marseille's acclaimed Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, Jean-Francois Chougnet, who arrived from Paris a few years ago.

The widespread use of masks might be an even bigger break with tradition than not kissing or shaking hands, said Chougnet. "In our society wearing a mask is very unnatural," he added.

Further west along the Mediterranean coast, people from Montpellier are even greater fans of the bise. Each greeting leads to three enthusiastic cheek kisses.

Advertisement

"We really miss it. It's gut-wrenching every time we have to stop ourselves," student Melodie Ricaud said, adding that she now hesitates between a distant hand gesture and the Indian greeting "namaste" where both hands are brought together in front of the chest.

Fatima Boulamaat, from Montpellier's working-class area "Petit Bard", no longer greets her friends with physical contact.

"I do the sign that my Moroccan grandmother did, with the right hand on the heart and an intense gaze so that they feel my affection," she said.

'Way of life'

Physical proximity is also an essential component of social interactions on the other side of the Mediterranean in Tunisia and Algeria.

"The physical relationship is very important in Algeria. We touch a lot, we're very warm and expressive through our gestures," said Nacer Djabi, professor of sociology at the University of Algiers.

"Hugging and kissing are a sign of kindness and acknowledgement," added prominent Tunisian sociologist Mohamed Jouili.

For French anthropologist Genevieve Zoia, "our Mediterranean identity is based on physical closeness". 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also