Passion Fruit

International Kissing Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on July 6 every year. The day is fast approaching! But if we don’t actually plant a wet one on someone’s cheek, we can certainly bestow an act of equal value: an act of gentleness or patience. Paul calls this fruit. We might call it “passion fruit.”

“National Kissing Day, also known as World Kiss Day and International Kissing Day, is a nonofficial holiday that is celebrated on July 6 every year. It is a holiday in which people are encouraged to pucker up and kiss the person they love.”

These two introductory sentences appear on the website of Holiday Calendar (see Sources below). They alert us to a holiday most people do not celebrate but probably would like to.

This coming Saturday, two days after lighting up the barbie and eating hot dogs and apple pie, we’re encouraged to set off a few fireworks of our own on a personal level. Kiss someone you love.

Advocates for the holiday are quick to point out the benefits of kissing.

• Kissing burns 6 calories a minute. Kiss for two hours and you can afford a piece of chocolate.
• Kissing increases saliva production, which can lead to a healthier mouth.
• Kissing can build up immunity because of the interaction with the bacteria of the mouth.
• Kissing relieves stress.
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