Cheek kissing
In other countries, including the U.S. and Japan, cheek kissing is common as well at an international meeting between heads of state and First Ladies[1] or members of royal and the Imperial families.
[2][3] Depending on the local culture, cheek kissing may be considered appropriate among family members as well as friends and acquaintances: a man and a woman, two women, or two men.
Eastern European communist leaders often greeted each other with a socialist fraternal kiss on public and state occasions.
In cultures and situations where cheek kissing is the social norm, the failure or refusal to give or accept a kiss is commonly taken as an indicator of antipathy between the people, and to dispel such an implication and avoid giving offense may require an explanation, such as the person has a contagious disease such as a cold.
Cheek kissing is a standard greeting throughout Southern Europe between friends or acquaintances, but less common in professional settings.
Male relatives are more likely to initiate kissing if there is a significant age gap, such as between uncles and nephews, or if both men are elderly.
Males usually slightly bump their heads or just touch their cheeks (no kissing) so to masculinize the act.
A popular French joke states that you may recognize the city you are in by counting the number of cheek kisses, as it varies across the country.
[citation needed] In northern European countries such as Sweden and Germany, hugs are preferred to kisses, though also rare.
[citation needed] Although cheek kissing is not as widely practiced in the United Kingdom or Ireland as in other parts of Europe, it is still common and increasing.
Amongst the upper classes, it is a common greeting among adults who are friends, while for the rest of the population, however, the gesture is generally reserved for relatives.
In certain communities in Indonesia, notably the Manado or Minahasa people, kissing on the cheeks (twice) is normal among relatives, including males.
However, cheek kissing between a male and female is usually considered inappropriate, unless within the same family; e.g. brother and sister, or if they are a married couple.
Some men hit each other's head on the side instead of cheek kissing, possibly as an attempt to masculinize the action.
A man and a woman could cheek kiss each other for greeting without sexual connotations only if they are good friends or depending on the circle, the setting, and the location like in big cities.
However, cheek kissing between male and female in public is considered to be inappropriate, but it may occur among some youth Iranians.
In 2014, Leila Hatami, a famous Iranian actress, kissed the president of Cannes Gilles Jacob on the red carpet.
According to the March 8, 2004 edition of Time magazine, "a single [kiss] is [an] acceptable [greeting] in the United States, but it's mostly a big-city phenomenon.
Particularly in the southeastern United States (Southern), elderly women may be cheek kissed by younger men as a gesture of affection and respect.
[citation needed] Immigrant groups tend to have their own norms for cheek kissing, usually carried over from their native country.
[citation needed] In Miami, Florida, an area heavily influenced by Latin American and European immigrants, kissing hello on the cheek is the social norm.
[citation needed] In Latin America, cheek kissing is a universal form of greeting between a man and a woman or two women.
In business settings, the cheek kiss is not always standard upon introduction, but once a relationship is established, it is common practice.
In Ecuador it is normal that two male family members greet with a kiss, especially between father and son or grandfather and grandson.
Cheek kissing is common in the Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia,[10] and is also present in countries within the Arab world such as Tunisia and Morocco, but is largely uncommon in most areas south of the Sahara.
