Growing up in an Islamic State, little did I know that kissing is universal but only for parents to kiss their babies and doesn’t really extend to adults; In my culture, you can hardly find anyone kissing or holding hands even if they are married. It is funny and sad at the same time that I never saw my parents showing affection to each other both in public or at home. In some countries such as Pakistan or any other Islamic states such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco or even as secular as India, it falls under a crime, In some countries it is acceptable and in few, it’s widely celebrated.

I have had a hard time when I first moved to States back in 2012 and I can talk about my cultural shocks; be it PDA or food but gradually I become used to hugs, side kisses, and Americano coffee. I got to travel to some of the countries and I would love to share some of my PDA experiences. Here are a few of my first-hand experiences:

Pakistan: Culturally rich but being an Islamic state; here you can hardly find anyone holding hands except for Islamabad which is a capital city; a very beautiful city in the lap of mountains, progressive and a home to the elite of Pakistan. It’s pretty normal for the same sex to hold hands, kiss and roam around wrapped their hands in each other’s waist.

India: From dry states of Gujrat to progressive cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi it’s slightly acceptable among the public to accept PDA as a normal thing. Anyhow it’s always an adventure to do it and you could see many eyes rolling on you.

Srilanka: You might find most Europeans kissing on one of the breathtaking train experience but you can hardly find any locals making out in public or even showing affection except for some notorious public parks under some umbrella or a tree.

Azerbaijan: An Islamic state yet very progressive because it used to a part of the USSR so it has a huge influence on it. You can see women wearing skirts, or men shorts and roaming around the streets holding hands but hardly find anyone kissing except if you happen to go to bars or house parties. Azerbaijan has recently attracted a huge number of tourists from all over the world because of its friendly policies towards tourists.

United Arab Emirates: A home to Burj Khalifa, often known as place for skyscrapers yet an Islamic state; which recently has shown some leniency towards alcohol since it attracts millions of tourists every year from every part of the world but you will only find couples confined to their hotels or homes when it comes to PDA.

Maldives: A nation of Island, an amazing honeymoon destination but yet a conservative nation. You will see women in Niqab and Burkinis on their famous capital beaches but life is on their private resorts. Alcohol is banned in their capital Male and even at Mafooshi Island but you can always go in the middle of Island and spend as little as $12 for a can of a beer. You might see many local women working in their hotels or at Airbnb but you will still see segregated beaches often named as normal and bikinis beaches.

Watch here to know why kissing isn’t a universal act. https://www.brut.media/us/news/why-kissing-isn-t-a-universal-act-245fd21d-0a36-4d8f-bea2-bc47a1628eac

Do share about PDA etiquette in your country. How do you greet a person? Thank you.

Regards,
Raj