Contest brings couples cheek to cheek

Contest brings couples cheek to cheek

Withstanding the pain and boredom, and as their competitors
dropped off all around them, four couples in Bandung kept their
cheeks pressed together for over 40 hours to celebrate
Valentine's Day.

Held at the Bandung Trade Center, the couples pressed their
cheeks together (see photo) for 47 hours, 32 minutes and five
seconds.

Theo Rettob, 20, said he felt sore and weak after taking part
in the contest with Iwan, his 33-year-old uncle. But he said it
was all worth it after he and his uncle, along with three other
couples, were declared the winners of the contest, the first of
its kind in the country.

The contest began on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. under the watchful
eyes of four officials from the Indonesian Museum of Records
(MURI). It ended on Valentine's Day.

The three other winning couples were Sabarita Bangun and
Pameria Ginting; Mardiah Zulfitri Boru Perangin-angin and
Sindawati Boru; and Suyatno Sudihardjo and Lilis Widowati.

One of the MURI officials, Arini, said the couples beat the
world record for the longest kiss, which was set by Louisa
Almedovar and Rich Langley, who kissed for 30 hours, 59 minutes
and 27 seconds. The couple set the kissing record on Dec. 5,
2001, in New York.

In the contest in Bandung, participants could have family or
friends bring them food and drink, or massage their shoulders and
backs. They were also allowed to dance and sing, as long as their
cheeks never separated.

Alvan Faslah, the head of promotion at the Bandung Trade
Center, said the idea for the contest was arrived at jointly with
Multi Kreasi Cartoon Studio.

Two weeks after it was announced on radio stations and in
papers in Bandung, 20 couples had signed up for the contest.

"But after they underwent checkups by appointed doctors, only
13 of them were able to take part," he told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.

Since the contest involved close physical contact, the
committee decided not to allow boyfriends and girlfriends to take
part. Only friends or relatives were allowed to join in the fun.

"We didn't want couples being intimate for fear of protests by
the Indonesian UIema Council," Alvan said.

The winners received certificates from MURI Foundation head
Jayasuprana, and will receive a Rp 50,000 shopping voucher every
day for a year from the Bandung Trade Center.
-- JP/Yuli Tri Suwarni