HAND-KISSING WANING IN POPULARITY?

mafketis:

Also, the man is supposed to bend at the waist and meet her hand, not yank it up to his kisser. And IINM he's not really supposed to physically kiss it, but rather lightly lip smack a centimeter or two from her hand. If he does touch her hand the lips should be closed, there shouldn't be any transfer of bodily fluids to the back of the lady's hand.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	Dec 7, 08, 08:03 / #
Polish men used to charm females the world over through their gallant custom of kissing their hands, in fact that was long viewed as a Polish hallmark. Its popularity is now visibly decreasing. I wonder what younger women feel when they are greeted in this way nowadays. The two-fisted feminists probably yank their hands away in disgust, (patriachalism, feudalism, sexism, gender discrimination, bla-bla-bla!!!), but what about normal lasses?

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07	Dec 7, 08, 08:07 / #
My lassie likes it. I did it in Tesco yesterday and I feel that it causes no offence to normal people. After all, love is more desirable than contempt.

SwiteziankaThreads: - Posts: 525 Joined: Jun 17, 08	Dec 7, 08, 08:11 / #
What the young generations thinks about it? Well, kissing hands is sweet, cute and everything, as long as the kisser is in close relationships with the kissed. So, if my boyfriend, husband or just a guy I'm flirting with does it, it's OK. But in case of a stranger or nearly stranger, it's just disgusting. It makes me feel like running to the bathroom and washing my hand immediately, so I'm very happy this custom is fading away. I don't want any contact with random people's bodily fluids... Polonius, imagine you meet some guy and he kisses your hand. Would you feel comfortable with it?

joepilsudskiThreads: 44 Posts: 2,529 Joined: Apr 27, 07	Dec 8, 08, 15:42 / #
Ass kissing is always the most popular social practice among humans.

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,372 Joined: May 30, 08	Edited by: pawian Dec 8, 08, 17:13 / #
Switezianka: So, if my boyfriend, husband or just a guy I'm flirting with does it, it's OK. But in case of a stranger or nearly stranger, it's just disgusting. It makes me feel like running to the bathroom and washing my hand immediately, so I'm very happy this custom is fading away. A stranger might become your boyfriend, husband or lover one day. Don`t put him off by running to the bathroom.:):):):):) Switezianka: Polonius, imagine you meet some guy and he kisses your hand. Would you feel comfortable with it? If a woman like you kissed my hand, I would feel very pleased. My wife much less. :):):)

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07	Dec 8, 08, 17:16 / #
What if she was old and had no teeth, pawian?

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,372 Joined: May 30, 08	Edited by: pawian Dec 8, 08, 17:23 / #
Seanus: What if she was old and had no teeth, pawian? Świtezianka??? A pic from my school

joepilsudskiThreads: 44 Posts: 2,529 Joined: Apr 27, 07	Dec 8, 08, 22:52 / #

Patrycja19Threads: 79 Posts: 3,972 Joined: Oct 31, 06	Dec 8, 08, 23:21 / #
Polonius3: Polish men used to charm females the world over through their gallant custom of kissing their hands, I thought this was european custom, not polish, but I would think it was just a gentleman gesture and no one would take offense unless offense was given along with the hand kissing gesture.

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08	Dec 8, 08, 23:32 / #
It's my understanding that women control this practice in that the way she extends her hand indicates whether she expects a shake or a kiss. A man who twists her hand to kiss it would be a jerk. It's less bad to limply shake a hand extended for a kiss but again, the woman is supposed to decide which greeting should take place. If the custom is going out of style, it's because of the choices of women, men have nothing to do with it. Also, the man is supposed to bend at the waist and meet her hand, not yank it up to his kisser. And IINM he's not really supposed to physically kiss it, but rather lightly lip smack a centimeter or two from her hand. If he does touch her hand the lips should be closed, there shouldn't be any transfer of bodily fluids to the back of the lady's hand.

LoriThreads: 5 Posts: 122 Joined: Mar 17, 08	Edited by: Lori Dec 9, 08, 18:13 / #
I have a wonderful memory. I go to Poland as a volunteer to teach conversational English to children and teens. This past summer I went with students from Siedlce to Zakopane. I had a week before the next language camp would start so rode the bus all the way back to Siedlce with the teens. The plans were to drop me off at a hotel right along the highway. We arrived in a thunderstorm. The bus driver manuvered the bus so that I would alight under shelter. When I got to the front of the bus to leave I told driver thank you very much and good bye in Polish -- I don't have the courage to try to right that correctly. I was very humbled when the driver kissed my hand. Please know he was not a stranger. He had spent the entire two weeks with us in Zakopane as well, but at the same time we had only greeted each other and never even had a conversation, obviously due to my poor Polish!

rdywenurThreads: 5 Posts: 175 Joined: Jun 28, 08	Dec 10, 08, 01:10 / #
•:¨`:• ღ A kiss on the hand can be quite continental but Daimonds are a girls best friends ღ •:¨`:•

MoonlightingThreads: 60 Posts: 308 Joined: Apr 28, 07	Dec 10, 08, 08:43 / #
rdywenur: :¨`: ღ A kiss on the hand can be quite continental but Daimonds are a girls best friends ღ :¨`: Excellent quote ;-)

sapphireThreads: 28 Posts: 1,418 Joined: Dec 7, 06	Dec 10, 08, 11:21 / #
I like hand kissing. I sometimes kiss my bfs hand too and he thinks thats very funny, but hey this is the age of equality. Cheek and air kissing is another minefield, do you do one, two or even three and should you make contact or not? Obviously its different in every culture, but a tricky issue.

Patrycja19Threads: 79 Posts: 3,972 Joined: Oct 31, 06	Dec 8, 08, 23:46 / #
mafketis: It's my understanding that women control this practice in that the way she extends her hand indicates whether she expects a shake or a kiss. well maybe if your brought up in this environment. hand kissing is still around, but I dont think its made out to be such a big deal as described by polonius.. I think its a nice gesture. like I said, I think its mostly in europe.. and its more common there.. women dont pull away in disgust, femists or not, hand kissing has nothing to do with why women fight for a right to vote.. thats way off.. but anyways.. I think your prob right on how its supposed to be.. thanks for your insiteful input mafketis

MoonlightingThreads: 60 Posts: 308 Joined: Apr 28, 07	Edited by: Moonlighting Dec 9, 08, 02:41 / #
mafketis: Also, the man is supposed to bend at the waist and meet her hand, not yank it up to his kisser. And IINM he's not really supposed to physically kiss it, but rather lightly lip smack a centimeter or two from her hand. If he does touch her hand the lips should be closed, there shouldn't be any transfer of bodily fluids to the back of the lady's hand. Correct. And I always was taught that lips should not even touch the hand. Anyway, when I was a child, my grandmother usually took me to tea-room on Saturday afternoon and I had to meet her friends, same age or even much older. I was greeting them by hand-kissing and they were so "ooohh he's so polite... he's so cute... and this and that." :-) Strange how things change with the time. Now at the age of 38, I kiss a woman everywhere except on the hand...

szarlotkaThreads: 14 Posts: 3,349 Joined: Feb 20, 07	Dec 9, 08, 03:21 / #
Moonlighting: And I always was taught that lips should not even touch the hand. Precisely. At most a mere brushing of the lips on the hand. Slobbering over hands is what dogs are for.

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,372 Joined: May 30, 08	Edited by: pawian Dec 9, 08, 04:25 / #
Moonlighting: And I always was taught that lips should not even touch the hand. That`s senseless. What is hand kissing for, then? I never assume a false pretence of a kiss. Everything I do, I do thoroughly. szarlotka: Precisely. At most a mere brushing of the lips on the hand. Slobbering over hands is what dogs are for. I always moisten my lips before kissing a lady`s hand. Wet kiss, so called. Traditionally Polish.

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08	Dec 9, 08, 04:51 / #
pawian: I always moisten my lips before kissing a lady`s hand. Wet kiss, so called. Traditionally Polish. Well, that would explain why so few women extend their hands to be kissed nowadays. Why not just lick it a while? yech.

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,372 Joined: May 30, 08	Dec 9, 08, 12:34 / #
mafketis: Well, that would explain why so few women extend their hands to be kissed nowadays. No, they always come back for more after a traditional Polish wet kiss. Never have any woman refused to be kissed on her hand ... mafketis: Why not just lick it a while? yech. Have you tried it out? And how was it? :):):)

Cardno85Threads: 33 Posts: 858 Joined: Jul 11, 08 MEMBER	Dec 10, 08, 12:00 / #
Yeah, the face kissing thing is a major minefield for me. Back home girls I know well would get one kiss on the left cheek and a hug. Over here on my birthday I got 3 from my manager...and it was slightly awkward cos I didn't really know how many I was going for...so I was kind of hesitant inbetween seeing if she was going again, then i got into the rhythm and it stopped. It's a struggle!

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,372 Joined: May 30, 08	Dec 10, 08, 12:10 / #
sapphire: I like hand kissing. I sometimes kiss my bfs hand too and he thinks thats very funny, but hey this is the age of equality. Cheek and air kissing is another minefield, do you do one, two or even three and should you make contact or not? Obviously its different in every culture, but a tricky issue.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	Dec 11, 08, 18:12 / #
Gallant, hand-kissing Polish enlisted men and officers swept more than one Scottish lass off her feet when they were stationed in Scotland during WW2, and many mixed marriages resulted. Local lasses found Polish boys far more charming and chivalrous than their cold-fish Scots coutnerparts.

SwiteziankaThreads: - Posts: 525 Joined: Jun 17, 08	Dec 11, 08, 19:15 / #
Pierniczysz jak potłuczony...

diana	Dec 12, 08, 06:40 / #
I love when somebody is kissing me on my hand. Especially when its my guy who is doing it. Its a kind of respect.

DziadyThreads: - Posts: 63 Joined: Dec 16, 08	Dec 17, 08, 14:38 / #
The custom isn't unique to Poland, really. It's just very dated and has only much more recently lost significant popularity among Poles. It's cute in a way, I suppose, with someone one is dating or with whom one is being very formal or even silly. Much like prostrating oneself before an authority figure or informally bowing, it's very much waned in popularity. We should recall, too, that as a habit, it wasn't done hundreds of years ago either. Instead it's something that developed only a few centuries ago. It may make a comeback -- who knows? -- maybe when we're all less concerned with where her hand has been or where his lips have been earlier.

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 [Moderator]	Dec 17, 08, 15:10 / #
I notice that hand-kissing is shown quite often in various TV series. I don't see it much in reality.

polishgirltx	Dec 17, 08, 15:14 / #
older generation of Polish males kiss woman's hands, younger generation prefers a hand shake... a hand-kiss from a strange man makes me smile and blush...but a hand-kiss from a bf makes my heart melt even more... ;)

szarlotkaThreads: 14 Posts: 3,349 Joined: Feb 20, 07	Dec 17, 08, 15:18 / #
polishgirltx: older generation of Polish males kiss woman's hands and Szarlotka.... I should be a Victorian. Only ever got three slaps across the face

MatyjaszThreads: 2 Posts: 1,786 Joined: Jul 20, 06	Dec 17, 08, 16:34 / #
Cardno85: Yeah, the face kissing thing is a major minefield for me. Back home girls I know well would get one kiss on the left cheek and a hug. Over here on my birthday I got 3 from my manager... Yep, it's 3 here in Poland.