In ancient China, kissing was considered to be on a par with coitus, and thus was confined to the bedroom. This led European explorers to conclude that the Chinese did not kiss at all.
In strict Muslim countries public kissing does not occur, and in some cases people have been arrested for kissing outside the home.
In Vietnam, spouses do not kiss outside the home, and not in front of the children. And parents rarely kiss children, except when they are small babies.
In some areas of Italy and other Mediterranean countries, friends greet each other by kissing on the mouth, men and women both. Arab men kiss each other on the cheek in greeting. In France, protocol demands a kiss on each cheek, while the Dutch throw in a third one for good luck.
In the animal world, the highly sexed Bonobo chimpanzees are known to kiss each other passionately. And orangutans in Borneo have learnt to kiss each other by observing humans.
