rules for cheek kissing?
So when greeting a friend, if you are a male greeting a female, or meeting a new friend who is female, I hear a kiss on the cheek is the norm in most Spanish speaking countries. I am wondering, do the lips actually touch the skin, or is it more like kissing the air next to the cheek? And is it expected of foreigners as much? Are people offended if a foreigner doesn't do it out of cultural ignorance or awkwardness? And are there any Spanish speaking countries where this custom is not normal? Also, I assume dudes do not do this, but who knows? Thanks, besos!
6 Answers
I am wondering, do the lips actually touch the skin, or is it more like kissing the air next to the cheek? It depends on familiarity and the character of each one. As a rule cheeks are approached, but is no neccesary to plant completely the lips. Still, the kiss exists, you must not kiss the air. It's a fast and natural gesture, it is not obscene.
And is it expected of foreigners as much? It's a friendly gesture and it is always voluntary, not necessary. It is often used between women, not as common among men.
Are people offended if a foreigner doesn't do it out of cultural ignorance or awkwardness? In no way, there are many other types of greetings, nobody in his/her right mind should feel offended by that.
And are there any Spanish speaking countries where this custom is not normal? Rather it is also a common gesture in many countries that are not Spanish speaking.
Also, I assume dudes do not do this, but who knows? You assume correctly.
I work in a Spanish speaking church in the States and have noticed the following in answer to your questions. I'll relate my experiences and maybe somebody else can fill in the details.
Do the lips actually touch the skin, or is it more like kissing the air next to the cheek?
Every time it has happened to me it has been kissing the air.
And is it expected of foreigners as much?
I have never returned the greeting and have no indication that anyone was offended by it. I just smile and talk to them for a minute.
Also, I assume dudes do not do this, but who knows?
I have never been kissed this way by another male.
And are there any Spanish speaking countries where this custom is not normal?
I worked in central Mexico for over seven years and was never greeted there in this fashion.
Now I have a question: How is a guy supposed to respond when a woman greets him this way? Kiss her back?
What's in a kiss
Have you ever wondered just what it is
More perhaps than just a moment of bliss
Tell me what's in a kiss.
In Argentina, it has become a widespread practice to kiss almost everybody below 45, more or less. Older men still prefer a nice firm handshake. Me too. I personally disagree with so much kissing between men. We are not boxers! And sometimes you don´t really know that person so much. Hey, I´ve been try to convince my male friends to stop with the kisses and return to the old handshaking, but it´s like shouting in the desert.
Anyway, you usually kiss people you know, friends, relatives, your friend´s friends, You can even say hi with a kiss even to your coworkers and/or colleagues If there´s a certain degree of confidence and/or affinity. Some people spent half of the morning kissing coworkers at the office 
and students go to the university half hour before just to meet & kiss
Sometimes you can meet someone with a handshake and, let´s say after dinner, you say goodbye with a kiss conveying you enjoy his/her company
In general, it´s more a gesture than a real touch with the lips. If they touch the cheek, it´s slight and almost imperceptible. Most of times it´s just a cheek to cheek.
I personally prefer a handshake with men and formal kisses with women as a gesture of cordiality, also. If I go to a job interview, I don´t kiss anybody. But if I go to someone´s birthday party or to meet friends, you kiss everybody (why! it´s party!)
In most cases it just seems to be a light brushing of cheeks but I suppose it depends how well you know the person, I notice that some people are a bit more vigorous than others but you can say that about the british handshake some give a warm hand shake like take a good grip of your hand whilst others can be quite limp, anyway we need a native to really fill us in on the spanish custom and wethr or not they would be offended etc.
What I generally do is only return the air kiss and never initiate it. We have close friends in Colombia, Guatemala, and Bolivia and generally It's woman/woman or woman/man and never man/man The kids of our friends are always expected to greet us that way and they call us tio and tia. I like that alot. Also the "provecho" thing is used always when you're walking past a table when others are eating. Most latin american cultures are very polite and respectful.
And then there is this guy.......I wonder which country he is from. lol
