BUDAPEST: Organisers of a kissing event in Budapest said on Monday they have earned a place in the Guinness book of world records for the most number of couples locking lips at the same time.
They said they would submit video footage and documentation showing 7,451 couples were locked in simultaneous buccal bonding for 10 seconds on Sunday, during a week-long Sziget music festival.
The marathon mouth meet was the latest saliva-laced salvo in a running rivalry between Hungary and the Philippines for the kissing crown.
Filipinos set the Guinness world record in February 2004 with 5,327 couples, only to be overtaken by 5,875 couples in 2005. The Asian country came back in February this year, with 6,124 couples playing tonsil hockey in Manila to regain the record -- but Hungary smacked them down again in June, when it produced 6,613 smooching couples.
With the latest effort, Hungary figures they have clinched the record for some time to come.
"We thought that here at the Sziget festival we can set a record which the Filipinos will not be able to beat. We'd like it if this record now belonged to Hungarians for good," said Zsuzsa Simon of the tabloid daily Bors, which organised the event.
