Talk:Hand-kissing

Modern usage
While I agree with the statement, "The scene can look quite abject when the devout kisser ...", it is probably a bit POV. It is probably because this POV is widely held that the practice of genuflection fell rapidly out of use after Vatican II. Maybe the POV-ness of this could be lessened by a bit more explanation of why it is no longer prevalent. I will leave it to those more knowledgeable than I - Fastifex? Peashy 12:37, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

I removed POV references such as one dealing with the kissing of hands of Catholic prelates that described the scene as "abject"; and another that simply stated that the practice is uncommon in the 20th century, when, in fact, it is not uncommon worldwide.

"Conservative Upper Class" seems a tad non-neutral to me, but I could just be jumpy post-Liberal leadership campaign in Canada. Nothing serious, to be sure. Matthew M. White 142.177.231.204 08:38, 4 December 2006 (UTC)

Do the Mafia often kiss their superior's rings, or is that a Hollywood invention?

Arabs kiss the hands of their fathers. There is an incident of it In Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy. I also know it to be not unusual in Morocco. Maybe an Arab personn could add to this article with sources and backgorund information.

General
Just curious, but I see no mention of whether left or right hand is traditionally offered. Is it important? That question brought me to this article in the first place. —Preceding unsigned comment added by H0g (talk • contribs) 07:01, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

I believe that it is significant. In the ancient world, power was in the right hand. People would honor their kings, lords, or fathers by kissing the right hand. This act of veneration is related metaphorically to the veneration of religious and sacred relics and objects such as relics, icons, and the hands of priests, deacons, and bishops. Some might argue that the veneration that both of these groups of things, is derived from the veneration and worship, thought to be, and surely aught to be given to God since ancient times. There are many passages of the Old Testament, such as in the Psalms or in the other poetical and prophetic books where reference is made to the "Strength of Your/My right hand." Kings and lords desired this kind of worship because they thought they were divine. See Babylonian and Egyptian societies. Other kings, accepted such veneration, not worship, because they understood that their secular authority came from God's authority. The right hand has always been a symbol of power, might, authority, and privilege. Note this scriptural reference from the Psalms which says, "The LORD said to my Lord, come sit at my right hand until I have made your enemies a footstool." Contemporary significance can be seen in the salutation at the end of a letter addressed to a priest, "Kissing your Right Hand, Soandso." —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rclose (talk • contribs) 20:40, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Initiated by...
In the lede of the article, it says that the hand-kissing gesture is initiated by the person receiving the kiss. Can't it also be initiated by the kisser, by offering a hand to accept the kissee's hand to kiss? Um, ok. I'm kissing my wife's hand. It's my idea, not hers. So I hold out my hand. She gives me her hand, which I then kiss. Wouldn't I (the kisser) then be initiating the act? Applejuicefool (talk) 19:45, 15 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Fixed. Applejuicefool (talk) 19:53, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 1 one external link on Hand-kissing. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070705134743/http://dappledphotos.blogspot.com:80/2005/11/baciamano.html to http://dappledphotos.blogspot.com/2005/11/baciamano.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 11:09, 10 November 2016 (UTC)

POV injected here... also does this para really offer encyclopedic info?
" It could be used to convey a feeling of a more traditional and emotional attraction, rather than a superficial one that has become a stereotype of the 21st century." .... POV (what does this sentence even mean?).. REMOVE

"The gesture could be misconstrued as a parody or mockery of the original gesture, and indeed at times it may be used as such, but this is not always the sole intention. For example, it would not be mockery for a man saying goodnight to his girlfriend to kiss her hand, but a person who greatly exaggerated the practice would be clearly seen as mocking it as well as the person whose hand is being kissed." ... Opinion... anything could be misconstrued. Is that a feature of hand-kissing? and as a parody? Handkissing in particular? any gesture or phrase can be used in parody. This adds nothing to the article.... REMOVE

"Baisemain" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baisemain&redirect=no Baisemain] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Qwerfjkl talk  17:37, 10 October 2023 (UTC)