Kissing in Times Square to Celebrate 70 Years Since V-J Day

Kiss-in on V-J Day on Times Square, New York, on Aug. 14, 2015. Hundreds of couples gathered to mimic the sailor kissing a woman on the square 70 years ago to celebrate the victory over Japan and the end of the World War II. (Petr Svab/Epoch Times)

Hundreds of couples gathered in Times Square to celebrate the victory over Japan in World War II the same way one of the American sailors did 70 years ago—by a kiss.

The reference is, of course, to the picture by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, taken in Times Square right after President Harry S. Truman announced on August 14, 1945, that Japan had surrendered.

Despite a cheerful atmosphere, today’s recreation wasn’t altogether accurate, since Eisenstaedt remembered the sailor grabbed a woman he didn’t know. This time, participants were specifically encouraged to come with a partner or, at the very least, ask for permission.