In the past two weeks I received cards and email
from friends living in 3 continents. While the notes had personal characters,
most shared the same last line: XO.
As I read a similar email today, I sat back and
smiled: I did not know the origin of XO! It was time for me to learn.
... At first pass, my search yielded mixed messages:
the “X” seems to come from the Middle Ages, but the “O” seems to come from
nowhere! There is consistent support to
the documentation that the “X” was used in Europe as a signature by those who
could not write and read. And it seems that it does have a religious background
as the “X” is the first letter in XPIƩTOƩ,
or Christ in Greek. The idea seems to be that, by marking an “X”, one pledges
sincerity in signing a document.
But what makes it personal? Isn’t an “X” just and X?
How would one know it was this and not that person who signed that document?
This is where things get exciting: After
writing/drawing the”X”, the signatory was expected to seal it with a kiss!!!!
That was the oath of honesty for the transaction.
… I sat back on my chair and thought that today we
still face similar situations when people who cannot write dip their thumb in
ink and make an imprint. While the thumb print is more specific in identifying
a person than perhaps the imprint of lips, the idea is the same. I even learned
that the Japanese Samurai had a similar method of signing, this time
substituting their blood to the ink on their thumb.
.. Of course “Sealing it with a kiss” is a popular
statement between lovers when sending a letter. It is ultimately romantic,
tender and very personal. It is the telemetry of an actual kiss…
Interestingly, the most recent song entitled “Seal
it With a Kiss” belongs to Brittney Spears. Hmm, somehow I would have expected
it to be a song by Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra. And when I checked the
lyrics of that song I realized that the original intent, in the Middle Ages to
seal a document with a kiss, was very different from what Brittney Spears had
in mind…!
But the romantic idea of “sealing with a kiss” seems
adopted universally. Indeed there was a 2011 very popular drama series on
Chinese television called, well yes, “Sealed With a Kiss”! Further, in the past
50 years Bobby Vinton, Bryan Hyland and Jason Donovan sang a song called “Sealed
With a Kiss”. Finally, there is a myriad of stores on the spectrum of camp
equipment to bridal gowns with the same name…
Clearly, that medieval tradition of officially
sealing a document has found a pan-human resonance in all aspects of our
expressions and services.
… But what about the “O”? And how come that we translate “XO” as “Hugs and Kisses” if the
“X” is a kiss? Is the “O” a hug? What is
its origin?
Well, there seems to be no consensus as to where the
“O” came from. It is said that it is a recent Western construct to make a new
abbreviation to a signature meaning “Hugs and Kisses”.
.. Hmm. Next time I get email ending in “XO” I will
write back asking the sender what it means.
January 11, 2015
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015
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