When midnight strikes on New Year's Eve, many of us will be leaning toward that all-important New Year's Eve kiss—perhaps with a significant other, perhaps with a mysterious stranger. Why do we kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve?
Let's see how the New Year's Eve kiss came about.
The history of traditional kissing
Let's go back to the 8th century BC. n. No. when the always lively ancient Romans organized the Saturnalia festival in the middle of December. Saturn was an agricultural god, so his festival naturally became quite serious due to the widespread change in social norms - lavish feasts for slaves, extra freedom for women, illegal gambling. The Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger described the celebrations in a letter to a friend. He wrote, "Loose reins are given to public dissipation," which is ancient Roman for: "Dude, come, there are naked people on my lawn."
They were characteristic of the Renaissance masquerades. The masks symbolized the evil spirits and vices of the previous year. At midnight, the masks were removed, and the kisses were the cleansing force that would drive away the aforementioned evil and enter the new year clean. English and German folklore duplicated this tradition by suggesting that the midnight kiss could intensified the budding romance and that not kissing someone at midnight on New Year's would result in a lonely year.
So, in summary, here it is five reasons, why we kiss at midnight for the New Year:
1. The Romans had a lasting influence on our modern romantic traditions. The proof is right in the word "romantic". The Saturnalia festival lives on in our New Year celebration today.
2. First step - put on the mask. Step two – take off the mask. The third step — drive away evil spirits with it. If you understand!
3. A kiss on New Year's Eve is said to bring good luck in a new relationship, so keep that in mind when you kiss.
4. No kiss = forever alone. So take this superstition very seriously.
5. If you want your midnight kiss to have meaning, let it happen, regardless of who you share it with.
