You can only imagine the fluster the uninitiated among us might feel on Valentine's Day in France...where kissing is already confusing!
is this one of those "air" kisses?
Whom do you kiss, and where? on the lips? the cheek? cheeks? hand? The opportunities for embarrassment are many. Here, then, is your guide to just how many kisses are expected depending on who the kisser and the kissee are, their ages, sex and social status, and finally, just where you are located in France.
The map is color-keyed to give the proper number of kisses depending on the departmente you are visiting, in order to avoid acute humiliation! The links will give you much more in-depth guidance to navigating these social waters in le Hexe!
French friends and readers, please feel free to weigh in with advice!!
then there's the Chinese girl who wanted to kiss 100 men in Paris,
and did it...pictures on her blog
(where she got 220,000 hits in one day!)
sources: Frogsmoke, The Times Online
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in 2010, it's:
for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic
Chic Provence Interior Design
Very good post! I have been living in France for seven years now and I still go wrong about it...but I love the unexpectedness...you never know how many kisses you're gonna get..
ReplyDeletexxxxx,
Cristina
Hi Cristina! It seemed so appropriate for Valentine's Day to post this very useful info:)
ReplyDeleteLucky you living in France!
bisous!
Kit
Cute...I am three where I am, xv.
ReplyDeleteVery funny post come tho think of it. When we lived in Provence it took us a little while to get used to. There was appropriate etiquette for our kids to present themselves for kisses by adults too. After returning to the US though I really missed it. and found the way we do it all of a sudden more awkward, shake hands, wave, whatever....It was an official beginning and end to interactions. Casual or formal, business or pleasure. It worked. Happy Valentines Day! Daniel
ReplyDeleteHi Vicki, so it IS three in your area? A girl could get dizzy with all the head turning!
ReplyDeletemerci pour la visite!
Kit
Hi Daniel that's one of the things about France..it has long and predictable customs..it's just difficult to figure out just what they are where you are. I too like the formality and the expectation in the greetings and partings there. For instance, you would never enter a store without greeting the proprietor, Bonjour Madame or Monsieur (not just Bonjour alone!) and similar greeting upon leaving. That isn't done or expected here, but it's nice when it happens...
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you in paradise there in Napa
Kit
I am pleased in a way that it is only "2" where we live as it can become tiring when meeting a large group of people.
ReplyDeleteMille baisers :-)
Leeann
So fun!
ReplyDeleteI am quite certain I've now read about 80 Valentine's posts all of which were quite mediocre. This, on the other hand, is remarkable and enchanting. Well done!
ReplyDeleteHello Blushing, thanks for the very kind comments!! sweet!
ReplyDeleteI'll skip on over to your blog now!
xx
Kit
Fun post.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when someone from one department is visiting another department? How many kisses then? Who decides? Does it always default to the department you are standing in?
It's all too confusing, but thanks for shedding light. I think I'll just stand still and wait for the kisser to lead the way.
Paulita there's always that moment of indecision! I think it's better to "underkiss" than to overdo it!
ReplyDeletexxx
Kit
I follow the lead of the person I am with. Some of my friends are 2 and some are 3 and they are in the same area of Provence.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea on the 100 kisses. Could be fun if you could be selective about it :) This might be a perk to being single and heading to France in a month!
Bonjour Brocantess...imaginative way to spend your time in Paris, non?
ReplyDeleteI always heard that the better you know (and care about) someone in France, or family members you like, the more kisses you give them...there are many theories :) Let's go do some research!
xx
Kit
I have nominated you for the Fabulous Blogger Award. Bravo and thank you for giving such a great blog. please check it at http://thefrencheye.blogspot.com and please pass it along.Merci.
ReplyDeleteJeanne-Aelia thank you so much for this fabulous honor! I am thrilled to receive the Fabulous Blogger Award from you...everyone, click over to Through the French Eye for Jeanne-Aelia's wonderful vision!
ReplyDeletemilles mercies!
I know it is difficult to get it. For me it is easy, I'm french
ReplyDeleteHi Melanie, you probably hear this all the time, non? Any advice welcome!
ReplyDeletexx
Kit
Hah! This guide is a work of art. You should publish this ;)It's funny because as a person who was raised partially in France, I always feel like I should follow French tradition when greeting our French friends her in the US...while at the same time they are desperately trying to stick to American customs of greeting. This always results in a lot of awkward, re-edited greetings each time we meet. Ah, the colliding of the cultures.
ReplyDeleteAh Melanie...the bisous! I'm working on an article on this strange and wonderful phenomenon. I found the map a few months ago and it cracks me up. I don't think I will ever get this down and I'm continually doing it wrong. I don't even think the French are really sure....everybody I ask has a different opinion. Kisses for family, kisses for children, kisses for children of a certain age, which side do you start on, exactly who do you kiss and whose hand do you shake, and the real down and dirty on how many kisses in each region! All I know is I've seen traffic held up while people are kissing each other in the crosswalk. And I love it!
ReplyDeleteit's always hard to know how many and where and the whole thing when dealing with people who are used to more than one on the cheek... have a nice one!
ReplyDeleteHi Wanderer's Daughter, you are so funny!..thanks for stopping by, see you soon!
ReplyDeleteKit
HI Delana thanks for stopping by...I'd LOVE to see the article when you are done, be sure to let us all know!! I can just see the traffic horns blowing while mssr et mme get it right!! funny!
ReplyDeleteKit
Hi Elie's Papel, I usually try to "pause and wait", but then, so does the other person...zut alors!!
ReplyDeleteKit
oh my goodness, this post is both hysterical and much needed! We lived in Germany, just on the border of France and I could never get it right. It was exceptionally confusing for us as our German friends offered no affection whatsoever (a stiff handshake at best), and then the French have this kissing thing going on. I will have to study this map for my next venture overseas. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteHello Sweet Euro Dreams! I have that picture in my mind...stiff handshake vs. multiple kisses! Thanks so much for visiting ad for following..I'll check out your blog too..
ReplyDeleteKit
I love your blog! You have a great eye for design ... I see you're a designer; so that makes sense ... and you have great taste too! Nice mix of things, which I worry about on my blog; so it looks like I need to get over it and just do what I feel.
ReplyDeleteBTW, we have a few things in common. I live in San Francisco too. And, we share the love of several places in Provence. Aix-en-Provence was an amazing accidental (kind of) discovery. We were having dinner on Belden Place at Tiramisu here in SF and mentioned to the hostess that we were going to France in a few months. She was from Aix and kept talking about it; so we added it to our itinerary. What a hit!!! Now it's one of our favorite spots in France. One of the people at our hotel there, recommended a little circle tour and lunch in Roussillon, which was a big hit too. And, we have some great shots of the TGV station in Avignon. I could go on, but that's enough for now. I have a blog about non-touristy things to do here in San Francisco (http://www.QuirkySanFrancisco.com) and also on the BlogCatalog site. Small world, huh?