a brief history of the midnight kiss.
Yes, even the New Year’s Eve kiss has humble beginnings.
The clock strikes midnight, and suddenly you’re grabbing your best friend, your partner, or the person you locked eyes with ten seconds ago and pulling them in. No hesitation, just instinct.
Is there anything as sexy as the New Year’s kiss? The countdown, the anticipation, a collective inhale. The kiss has context, has momentum, and so much possibility. Whether soft and familiar or utterly reckless, it carries the thrill of starting something.
It feels like it’s always been there, and yet, where did it come from?
The New Year’s kiss is believed to trace back to German traditions brought over to the U.S. in the mid-19th century, according to The New York Times. The idea was rooted in superstition: the belief that whoever you kissed at midnight set the tone for the year ahead. So no pressure—choose wisely, and maybe kiss them a few more times just to be safe.
The kiss shapeshifted from centering on prediction to being more about permission. In Victorian England, ruled by social codes, New Year’s Eve presented a sanctioned pause. A kiss was permitted, allowing for a little mayhem. Folklore even suggests that refusing a kiss would doom both parties to a year of bad luck and emotional instability. Cue Leonardo’s Romeo looking across the fish tank at his Juliet (Claire Danes).
Then pop culture came in and did the rest. When Harry kissed Sally, the New Year’s kiss was forever changed. Friends finally to lovers. A clean break from the past. The promise of something unfinished. And the scene.
Today, the ritual looks different depending on where you are. In Mexico and Colombia, the kiss represents intentions, sealing love and creating hope for the year to come. Singles might kiss a stranger, their hand, or even a mirror. The most iconic way to invite love in ever.
In Japan, public kissing is unusual. On New Year’s Eve, they share a quiet intimacy. They visit shrines together, hold hands, and connect.
And sometimes, a kiss isn’t even a kiss at all. Sometimes it looks like eating twelve grapes under a table at midnight.
So here’s to the New Year’s kiss you want.
