MARSEILLE, May 31 — To greet friends and acquaintances by kissing, hugging and shaking hands is considered part of the essence of Mediterranean identity. But the coronavirus pandemic has put an abrupt end to such rituals with no indication of when it will be safe to resume them. Fear of spreading...
A man and a woman pose as they greet each other with their feet in the Vieux Port of Marseille southern France. — AFP pic
Fear of spreading the virus has upended traditions as close physical contact suddenly became dangerous, even life-threatening. Further west along the Mediterranean coast, people from Montpellier are even greater fans of the bise. Each greeting leads to three enthusiastic cheek kisses. “I do the sign that my Moroccan grandmother did, with the right hand on the heart and an intense gaze so that they feel my affection,” she said.Physical proximity is also an essential component of social interactions on the other side of the Mediterranean in Tunisia and Algeria.
For French anthropologist Genevieve Zoia, “our Mediterranean identity is based on physical closeness”. “In Spain we have been told since childhood: ‘Give that person a kiss’. And suddenly the order is: ‘Do not touch anyone’. It is almost unnatural,” said the psychologist Urra.
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