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