I remember watching an episode of my favorite TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and it was a New Years Eve party. As mid-night approached, the six (then plutonic) friends agreed that they would pair up and kiss into the New Year. Now, I don’t know about you but it was the most exciting thing I’d ever seen. Is it the belief that whatever you do on New Year’s Eve is what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year that has got everyone kissing into the New Year? I’ve attended parties where as people are counting down the year, couples are getting ready to smooch. Neat! And here I was thinking that in Africa, kissing stopped behind closed doors! According to wikianswers.com, the custom of the kiss can be traced back to the Ancient Roman Festival. The kiss would eventually be seen as a barometer for things to come. In old English and German legends the first person you came into contact with when the bells chimed mid-night, be it a familiar friend or just acquaintance, set the tone for your happiness and fortune in the coming year. A kiss with the one you love ensured good tidings but to have to kiss someone less complimentary or not kiss anyone at all would mean misfortune in the coming year. Whereas it may come off as highly superstitious, the norm has spread and I’m convinced that even in the depths of the Kalahari Desert where the Bushmen live, the kiss has spread. But you see superstition or not, there is no harm in that. I can’t think of a better way to enter the New Year. Call it Western influence, call it anything but it’s here and it’s not going away. Sure, some people (dear Africans that we are) would be mortified to see a couple exchange more than they should (at least in public) into the New Year. But it’s not like they are doing the unthinkable. It’s a kiss not a bank robbery! It’s the New Year. The Festive Season. It’s the time to be merry and temporarily leave all your problems at the door. People should be allowed to celebrate the holidays the way they see fit unless their behavior is of danger to others. Let us stop blaming the West because frankly some things are not of their doing. Did they declare that the whole world start kissing into the New Year? I don’t think so. That said I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful New Year. At midnight, go get your blessings…I know I am! rachelgaruka@yahoo.co.uk
