Besar like dar la mano is a way to say hello and goodbye. Among Hispanics it is very common to see friends kissing each other when greeting. Rather than being simple, kissing has a variety of forms each of which may have different connotations. For instance, kissing someone you’ve just met is completely different than kissing your closest female or male friend. Among close friends, regardless of gender, kisses come usually with hugs. In order to express your feelings, the kiss must also sound loud. Conversely, newcomers will receive a discrete kiss without a hug. In addition, in Spain, people are accustomed to kissing twice—once on each cheek—whereas is Latin America only one kiss is given.
Foto: ppvitoria CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 |
Foto: jpdinamarca CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 |
Contrary to what is thought, there are countries in which men do kiss each other. This is the case of Argentina and Uruguay. Fathers and sons (even as adults) kiss each other. So do close male friends. In the rest of Latin American countries and Spain, father and son kissing depends on the family. In these countries, male friends only shake hands.
It is considered somewhat rude to wave instead of kissing when you join a small group of people. It is better to kiss each person even if it is the first time you are meeting him or her. It is also possible to shake hands in this case. The concept of distance is differently understood among Hispanics. For family and close friends, kissing and hugging is very important. In this context, not expressing your own feelings may be understood as being unsociable. Another thing to keep in mind is who is introducing you. If your closest friend introduces you in turn to someone close to him or her, you may want to show him or her how much you care for his or her friends. Thus, you should kiss the newcomerin the case of women and men being introduced to a femaleor shake hands in the case of man being introduced to another man. Other occasions, such as business meetings, are different; kissing is not commonrather, it could be awkward to kiss the bank’s manager.
When learning about a new culture, it is important to learn how to say “hi” and “good bye” so that you will not be considered rude or excessively familiar!
