Kissing in public among the mundari men of South Sudan is a normal form of greetings
Kissing is not considered either romantic or intimate for the Mundari tribe of South Sudan rather, it is frequently seen as a greeting between acquaintances and can be used as a symbol of respect. It is said that when a Mundari man meets another on the road, it is simple to tell if they are equal because they kiss silently on the lips if there is a significant rank gap, the lower-ranking man bows and pays respect to the higher-ranking man.
In several cultures, like South Africa, giving someone a short kiss on the lips while keeping the mouth shut is a typical greeting. Although today’s modern culture associates kissing with passion and intimacy, this was not the case in ancient times. When a kiss was intended to be romantic, doing it in front of others was frowned upon. Women initiating kisses would be considered promiscuous or associated with other vices.
In the Western world, giving someone a kiss as a greeting is not uncommon, and sometimes it is even expected. People greet one another as a display of respect, adoration, friendliness, and reverence in many cultures. A greeting may take the form of a handshake, hug, bow, nod, nose massage, kiss on the lips with the mouth closed, or kiss or kisses on the cheek, depending on the situation and culture.
The handshake is the most common greeting gesture still in use today compared to all others, however, the practice of cheek kissing is most prevalent in Europe and Latin America, and it has evolved into a sign of greeting in Latin Europe.
Even while cheek kissing is a common greeting across many cultures, every nation has its own particular style of kissing. It is usual to “kiss three times, on alternate cheeks” in most of Europe. Italians, Croatians, and Hungarians frequently exchange greeting kisses twice, while Mexico and Belgium simply require a single kiss.
Women only kiss on the right cheek in Ecuador, and following a handshake, males in Oman frequently kiss each other on the nose.