Every July 6th is observed as International Kissing Day—a holiday dedicated to this intimate practice. Also known as World Kissing Day, the holiday encourages people all around the world to give a loved one a kiss. If it’s an intimate partner, that’s most likely a kiss on their lips.

If it’s a family member, then a kiss on the forehead or cheek is customary. This day is also a good opportunity for people to learn more about kissing and how humans developed this practice. The whole purpose of the holiday is for people to reacquaint themselves with this simple pleasure.

The History of International Kissing Day

Kissing has been around for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years. Although historians don’t entirely know when it started, they believe that the practice began as a way for a mother to feed her infants. The mother would chew up the food for the baby and then press her lips against the baby’s lips to feed them this masticated food.

It’s believed that this practice, known as kiss feeding, would eventually evolve into kissing as a form of endearment and affection. As language developed around the world, so did kissing. In ancient Rome, it became a way for people to greet friends and family members.

In other cultures, the practice of kissing was often used in religious festivals as a way for people to transfer their souls’ essence or to honor specific deities. In some North American indigenous tribes, kissing was often seen as a way for people to connect with the spirits of the dead.

Eventually, kissing became associated with sexual attraction and romantic love. This was especially true during the Middle Ages when kissing was seen as a form of courtship in Europe. Today, kissing is used for a variety of different reasons and is used for both platonic and romantic relationships.

International Kissing Day hasn’t been around nearly as long as the act of kissing. In fact, it was only created in the early 2000s in the United Kingdom. We’re not entirely sure who invented it or the purpose behind its creation, but we do know that it has been around for around 20 years now.

Some Very Cool Facts About Kissing

We’re not content with ending an article on International Kissing Day without at least doing a preliminary exploration of the act of kissing. That’s why we fired up our computers, did a little bit of research, and found the following cool kissing facts. Sure, the following list of facts might be random, but they are pretty fun.

• A full 60 seconds of kissing is said to burn up to 26 calories.
• The average person spends upwards of 336 hours of their life kissing.
• No two sets of lips are the same. They even leave different lip impressions.

Observing International Kissing Day

This is a great day for people to learn more about kissing, watch “kissing movies” (may we recommend The Princess Bride), or to engage in a little bit of kissing themselves. They can also spread the word about this holiday around the world and across the Internet by using the hashtag #InternationalKissingDay or #WorldKissingDay.