Travel Tips

I am interested to see and learn about the different practices of this custom in all of Europe, but also all over the world. I have started caring about it during my several journeys to France, where it is widely practised. I don't really know why this gesture catches my interest, but it must have to do with my past: as a child, I decided someday that cheek-kisses sucked and I started refusing to get any and even to see people who kissed on the cheeks. When I was 14 I overcame this "illness" and now I quite like kissing and seeing people who kiss on the cheeks.
So, I'd be glad to get any message about
1) the practice of cheek-kissing in your country (or in any country you have visited):
- when do people kiss (when meeting for the first time, every time they meet, when they haven't seen for a long time, just on particular circumstances (birthdays, Christmas, etc.)?
- who kisses who: do men kiss men, do people kiss only relatives and close friends or even people they don't know well?
- how many kisses do they exchange? Please tell me if there is a variety in the number, e.g. 2 or 3 kisses, and what this depends on, if you know.
- what cheek do people start kissing from (if there is a rule)?
2) the way you practise this gesture yourself, if you do practise it, and any opinions you have about it;
3) how this gesture is called in your language:
- how do you call "kiss(es) on the cheek(s)"?
- how do you say "to kiss (each other) on the cheek(s)"?
- is there a particular expression to design it? For example, French say "se faire la bise" instead of "s'embrasser sur les joues", which is the literal translation;
- are there different words to mean a kiss on the cheek or on the lips?

I would prefer if you wrote a text, not a series of answers to my questions.
If you don't know what to write or how to write it, you can read my France Local Custom tip and Tourist trap tip.
Please, if you have read this, try to write something to me... I am not asking you for a composition, don't be afraid! Five to ten line can be enough. I would just like to get some more information than "In my country people give 2 kisses", as some tips say.
Thank you!

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Although this album has been viewed a certain number of times, only few people have written to me since I created it.

Jenny (eversure) from Filipinas (The Philippines) says that Filipinos kiss on both cheeks when meeting friends after a long time or to celebrate a birthday, for example. Women kiss both women and men. It is a "cheek-to-cheek kiss", while kids give only one kiss on the cheek of adult relatives or acquaintances (a "lip-to-cheek kiss").
This gesture is called beso-beso and is clearly of Spanish origin. Jenny says that "this practise is only common among the educated", not among the masses.

Michele (jadedmuse) from the United States wrote a very long and detailed mail to me about the cheek-kissing practice in Venezuela and also about her thoughts on cheek kisses. Thanks a lot!

Jess (JessH) reports that the Swiss kiss three times upon meeting, starting from the right cheek.

... waiting for more...

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... you can drop me a line anyway and write about a traditional greeting custom in your society.
Shelly (shelnlin) from New Zealand has told me about the typical Maori greeting, called Hongi. Maoris greet by pressing their nose against the other person's nose. It is an important gesture, since "when a person is greeted in this fashion they are then considered part of the group and no longer a guest", says Shelly. The name "Hongi" means "sharing of breath".

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