How do Latinos greet? How is it customary to say hello in different countries? How to say hello in different countries

When in the midst cold war Americans Brian and Michael McCorman from Nebraska, in protest against the increase in international tension, sent letters of warm greetings to all parts of the world and asked the addressee to simply greet someone else.

Each nation has its own customs to greet each other, but international etiquette is essentially the same: good and prosperity, Have a good day or success at work.

Englishman greets a friend with the question "How do you do?" — (literally "How are you doing?"), Frenchman asks: "Comment ca va?" ("How is it going?"), German - "Wie geht" s?" ("How is it going?").

Italians the course of affairs of a friend is not at all interested, he will exclaim at a meeting: "Come sta?" - "How are you standing?", Chinese asks: "Have you eaten today?", Zulus state: "I saw you!", Greenlanders just say: "Good weather!", and Navajo Indians optimistically exclaim: "All is well!". Persians will advise: "Be cheerful!", Arabs they will say: "Peace be with you!", and Jews- "Peace to you".

The most common greetings Mongols: "How are your cattle?" and "How do you roam?". IN Malaysia they ask: "Where are you going?" (to which they vaguely answer: "Walk"). The famous "Salam!" means "Peace be with you!" (as well as Shalom). IN Iran they say: "Be cheerful!", Georgians greet with the word "Gamarjoba!" - "Be right!", or "Win!". Japanese they will say: "Konnitiva" - "this is the day", "the day has come", Highlanders of Pamir and Hindu Kush greet each other with the wish "Be careful!", "Do not know fatigue!", Vainakhs- wish "Be free!".

IN African tribes groups Basotho the best greeting - it is addressed to the leaders - sounds like "Greetings to you, wild beast!", Maori say something like "Thank you for this morning (afternoon)!", Hindu greet God in the face of the one he met - "Namaste!", and North American Indians sometimes they greet with the words "You are my other "I".

IN Ancient Egypt during a short meeting, it was not customary to be interested in the state of health, they asked a different question: "How do you sweat?". Romans greeted each other with the wish of health "Salve!", and ancient Greeks said to each other "Rejoice!".

Russians, Europeans, Americans shake hands as a welcome gesture. A young American greets a friend by patting him on the back. In France, in an informal setting, even unfamiliar people they kiss at a meeting and parting, touching each other with their cheeks in turn and sending one to five kisses into the air.

emotional Hispanics hugging, chilling Laplanders rub their noses against each other Polynesia rub their noses and stroke each other on the back, men eskimos lightly hit each other with a fist on the head and shoulders.

friendly Japanese bow like Chinese. However, in modern China acquaintances greet each other with a favorite gesture of actors and politicians - clasped hands raised above their heads. And our gesture of greeting - the palm facing the interlocutor, swinging left and right - the Japanese will interpret as a gesture of farewell. The Japanese greet each other, waving open palm facing the interlocutor, away from you (back and forth).

Samoans sniff each other Tibetans take off the headgear with the right hand, and left hand put behind the ear and stick out the tongue. IN North Africa accepted, bowing, offering right hand to the forehead, to the lips and to the chest - this should mean "I think about you, I talk about you, I respect you." Some peoples of Africa, as a sign of greeting and deep respect, pass a pumpkin, holding it in their right hand. In the tribe akamba in Kenya, as a sign of deep respect, they spit on the oncoming one, and in the tribe Maasai at a meeting, they first spit, then spit on their own hand, and only then shake hands. On Zambezi clap their hands and make a curtsy.

IN India as a sign of greeting, hands are folded together and respectfully pressed to the chest, and Arabs cross them on the chest. Some Indian tribes in America it was customary, just in case, to squat until a stranger they met approached and noticed this peaceful posture. Sometimes they took off their shoes.

IN Egypt and Yemen the gesture of greeting is reminiscent of saluting - the palm is applied to the forehead. IN Latin America the men, when greeting, perform the following ritual: they embrace and first knock on the friend’s back three times, holding their head over his right shoulder, and knock on the back three more times, holding his head over his left shoulder.

Tajiks shake the outstretched hand with both hands - stretching out only one in response is disrespectful (the rule is not universal, but mandatory, for example, for a host meeting a guest).

IN Russia since ancient times, when meeting, they asked about health, this tradition has been preserved to this day. The analogues of the neutral "Hello" are the friendly "Hi" or "Hello!", the official "Let (allow) you to greet!". Elderly people sometimes say: "My respects" and "Good health to you." Greetings to the worker - "God help you!", to the one who came - "Welcome!" light steam!" and so on. There are forms of greeting: " Good morning", "Good afternoon", " Good evening", "Good night"…

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

How do they greet different countries

Different countries greet each other in different ways. Traditions to greet each other vary from a simple handshake to rubbing noses and sniffing cheeks. Moreover, the greeting has its own meaning!

Russia. People at a meeting wish each other good health and exchange friendly handshakes.

IN USA to the question: “How are you” (“How do you do?”) The answer is: “Everything is fine!”, Even if far from it. To say “bad” is the height of indecency!

Some Indian people take off their shoes when they meet.

IN Tunisia When greeting on the street, it is customary to first bow, bring your right hand to your forehead, then to your lips, then to your heart. “I think about you, I talk about you, I respect you” - this is the meaning of this greeting.

Mongolia. When meeting, people say to each other, “Are your cattle healthy?”.

Israel:"Peace to you!"

Inhabitants of the country Tonga located on the islands Pacific Ocean, when meeting with acquaintances, they stop at a distance, shake their heads, stamp their feet and snap their fingers.

IN Japan it is not customary to shake hands. The Japanese bow at a meeting with one of three types of bows - the lowest, medium with an angle of 30 degrees, or light.

Eskimos, greeting a friend, lightly hit him with a fist on the head and shoulders.

Zulus (a people in South Africa). When they meet, they exclaim “I see you!”.

Inhabitants New Guinea from the koi-ri tribe, greeting, tickle each other under the chin.

Representatives African people akamba living in the south Kenya, as a sign of deep respect ... spit on the oncoming one.

Inhabitants of the Republic Zambia V Central Africa, greet, clap their hands and make a curtsy.

Tibet. When meeting, people take off their headgear with their right hand, and put their left hand behind their ear and stick out their tongue.

India. As a sign of greeting, people fold their hands together and respectfully press them to their chest. Also in India in the morning they may ask: “Did the mosquitoes bother you too much this night?”

China. When meeting, people bow with arms extended along the body.

IN Italy when they meet each other they say "Chao!".

Greetings from the inhabitants of the island Easter: stand straight, clench your hands into fists, stretch them in front of you, raise them above your head, unclench your fists and let your hands fall quietly.

At Greenlanders there is no formal greeting, but when they meet they always say: “Good weather”, even if it is minus 40 degrees outside and a damp wind is blowing.

IN Botswana(a small country in southern Africa, most the territory of which the Kalahari Desert occupies) the traditional national “Pula” is translated as a wish: “Let it rain!”

And in ancient times the tribe Tuareg, living in the deserts, was a very complex and long greeting. It started when two more people were about a hundred meters from each other and could last as long as half an hour! The Tuareg bowed, jumped, grimaced ...

It is believed that handshakes have appeared in primitive times. Then, stretching out their hands to each other, people showed that they had no weapons, that they had come in peace.

According to another version, the handshake originated in the days of knightly tournaments. When the duel of two knights dragged on and it was clear that they were equal in strength, the opponents drove up to each other in order to discuss the peaceful outcome of the duel. Having gathered, the knights held out their hands for a handshake and held them like that until the end of the negotiations, thereby protecting themselves from possible deceit and deceit by the enemy. That is why the handshake is now common mainly among men.

Sociologist Spencer believes that the handshake is a remnant of an ancient custom. In ancient times, warriors did not leave alive defeated enemies. But later a man came up with the idea that the enemy can be kept as a free servant, a slave. And recognizing himself defeated and subdued, as a token of gratitude for the fact that life was given to him, the newly-made slave first fell on his face, as if showing that he was killed, defeated, then slowly rose, kneeling, and extended both palms to his master, showing that he gives himself to him.

Perhaps that is why in Latin and the words “hand” - “manus” and “submit” - “manus dare”, and later also “mansuetus” - “tamed”, “slave” are the same root.

Thus, if we rephrase famous phrase about a friend, you can say: tell me how you say hello and I'll tell you who you are.

In psychology, there is Stanley Milgram's theory - “ six handshake theory“. Its essence is that any 2 inhabitants of the planet are separated on average by only 5 levels of mutual acquaintances - that is, 6 handshakes. This hypothesis has been tested many times different ways, including computer simulations and Microsoft, but has always found confirmation. She works! Surely, walking around the expanses of the Internet, you were often surprised to learn that an acquaintance of your friend has long been familiar to you! ...

Practicum on tolerance

Tolerance training for teenagers Lesson 1 TOLERANCE: WHAT IS IT? (PART 1) Goals:

• to acquaint teenagers with the concept of "tolerance";
• stimulate the imagination of participants in search of their own
• understanding of tolerance in three ways: (1) based on the development of a "scientific definition", (2) through an expressive form, (3) using an associative series.

Introduction Target: - introduction to the problem Required time: 25 minutes.

Procedure: Group rules are accepted. Then the facilitator tells the group members about what “tolerance” and “intolerance” (or intolerance) are, about their manifestations and about the consequences of intolerance. The lecture can be prepared by the facilitator independently or based on the introduction to this manual. In conclusion, the facilitator presents the objectives of the training written on the board and talks about them.

Acquaintance Required time: 15 minutes.

The facilitator invites the participants to introduce themselves as they would like to be called in the group (for example, use pseudonyms).

Procedure(possible options). Exercise "Snowball". The group members sit in a circle.

The host introduces himself first. Then the negro sitting to the left of the speaker calls the name of the leader and his own name. Each next participant calls in turn the names of all those introduced before him. Thus, the participant closing the circle will have to name the names of all members of the group.

Exercise "Neighbor on the right, neighbor on the left"

The participant who holds the ball in his hands calls the names of the neighbors to the right and left of himself, and then introduces himself. After that, he throws the ball to any of the members of the group. The person who received the ball must again name the names of his neighbors on the right and left and introduce himself, and so on.

Warm up Goals:

• creating a relaxed, friendly atmosphere in the group;
• increasing intra-group trust and cohesion of group members.

Required time: 10 minutes. Exercise "What are we like" Carrying out procedure: The members of the group sit in a circle. The facilitator invites one of the participants into the circle based on some real or imagined resemblance to himself. For example: “Sveta, please come out to me, because you and I have the same hair color (or we are similar in that we are inhabitants of the Earth, or we are of the same height, etc.)”. Sveta enters the circle and invites one of the participants to leave in the same way. The game continues until all members of the group are in a circle. Exercise "Compliments"

Carrying out procedure: The facilitator invites the participants to come up with compliments for each other. He throws the ball to one of the participants and compliments him. For example: "Dima, you are a very fair person" or "Katya, you have a wonderful hairstyle." The person who receives the ball throws it to the person to whom he wants to give his compliment, and so on. It is important to ensure that a compliment is given to each participant.

The main content of the lesson Exercise "What is "tolerance"" Goals:

• allow participants to express scientific concept» tolerance;
• show the multidimensionality of the concept of "tolerance".

Required time: 20 minutes. Materials: tolerance definitions written on large sheets of paper (see Annex 1.2).

Preparation: write the definitions of tolerance on large sheets and attach them to the board or to the walls before the start of the lesson with the back to the audience.

Carrying out procedure: The facilitator divides the participants into groups of 3-4 people. Each group will have to brainstorm their own definition of tolerance. Ask the participants to include in this definition what they think is the essence of tolerance. The definition should be short and concise. After discussion, a representative from each group introduces the developed definition to all participants.

After the discussion in groups is over, each definition is written on the blackboard or on big sheet drawing paper.

After the groups present their wording, the facilitator turns the pre-prepared definitions “face” to the audience. Participants have the opportunity to see existing definitions and express your opinion about them.

Discussion: The facilitator asks the following questions:

• What makes each definition different?
• Is there something that unites some of the proposed definitions?
• What is the best definition?
• Is it possible to give one definition of the concept of "tolerance"?

Keep the following points in mind as you discuss:

• The concept of "tolerance" has many aspects.
• Each of the definitions revealed some facet of tolerance.

Reflection lessons

• Some of you are familiar with the concept of "tolerance" for the first time. Which of the definitions of tolerance resonated with you the most?
• Do you think the topic of tolerance is relevant, and if so, why?

Lesson 2 Tolerance: what is it? Warm up Exercise "General Rhythm" Goals:- Increasing group cohesion. Required time: 5 minutes.

Conduct procedure. The participants stand in a circle. The leader claps his hands several times at a certain speed, setting the rhythm, which the group must maintain as follows: the participant standing to the right of the leader makes one clap, followed by the next, and so on. It should feel like one person is clapping in a given rhythm, and not all members of the group in turn. This exercise rarely succeeds the first time. After several trial laps, participants who break the general rhythm gradually drop out of the game.

The main content of the lesson Exercise: Emblem of Tolerance Goals:- continuation of work with definitions of tolerance; - development of fantasy, expressive ways of self-expression. Required time: 20 minutes. Materials: paper, colored pencils or felt-tip pens, scissors, adhesive tape.

Conduct procedure. At the previous stage, the participants developed their own definitions of tolerance and got acquainted with the existing ones. The facilitator notes that the discussion took place on an intellectual, abstract level.

The next exercise will allow you to approach this from the other side - the participants will have to create an emblem of tolerance. Everyone will try to draw on their own such an emblem that could be printed on dust jackets, national flags. The drawing process takes 5-7 minutes. After completing the work, the participants examine each other's drawings (you can walk around the room for this). After getting acquainted with the results of the creativity of other participants, they should be divided into subgroups based on the similarities between the drawings. It is important that each participant independently decides on joining a particular group. Each of the formed subgroups should explain what their drawings have in common and put forward a slogan that would reflect the essence of their emblems (discussion - 3-5 minutes).

The final stage of the exercise— presentation of the emblems of each subgroup. Exercise "Pantomime of tolerance" Target: the same as in the previous exercise. Required time: 15 minutes.

Materials: several definitions of tolerance written on separate sheets of paper; everything that can be useful for pantomime - a coil of rope, ribbon, drawing supplies.

Conduct procedure. All participants are divided into 3-4 (3-5 people each). Each subgroup receives from the definitions of tolerance posted on the board. The task is to pantomimically depict this definition in such a way that the other participants guess which definition it is. in question. To prepare a pantomime - 5 minutes.

Discussion. The facilitator asks the following questions:

• Which pantomime was the most "unambiguous" and did not cause any difficulties in guessing?
• What difficulties did the groups encounter in the process of inventing pantomime?

Exercise "Basket". work with the concept of "tolerance" with the help of an associative series; development of imagination, creative thinking. Required time: 10 minutes. Materials: a basket or a bag with small items (for example, toys from Kinder Surprises, badges, etc.). The number of items must exceed the number of group members.

Conduct procedure. The leader passes in a circle with a basket in which there are various small objects. participants, without looking into the basket, take one item. When everyone is ready, the facilitator invites everyone to find some connection between this subject and the concept of tolerance. The story begins with the participant who first received the toy. For example: “I got the ball. He reminds me Earth. I think that tolerance should be spread all over the world.” To give an idea of ​​the features of a tolerant and intolerant personality and the main differences between them. Reflection lessons

• What new did you learn about the concept of "tolerance" in comparison with the previous lesson?
• What aspects and aspects of tolerance best characterize this concept?

All over the world it is customary to leave about yourself good first impression. The surest way to do this is to express your respect for the interlocutor with the traditional greeting home country. However, the gestures and words of all the peoples of the world are different, therefore, when going somewhere, it is important to know how people greet people in different countries so as not to lose face and win over others.

What does greeting mean

Even when humanity was developing and growing all over the earth, when continents opened up, and people from different shores of the seas and oceans got to know each other, they needed to somehow designate what is most important to them. The greeting personifies the mentality, outlook on life, when meeting people pay attention to each other with various gestures and facial expressions, and sometimes words carry more deep meaning than it might seem at first glance.

Over time, the inhabitants of the earth gathered into peoples, created their own countries, and traditions and customs are kept to this day. sign good manners is the knowledge of how people greet each other in different countries, since to greet a foreigner according to his customs is nothing but the deepest respect.

and greetings

Traditions are not always preserved. IN modern world, where everything is subject to certain standards, it is not at all necessary to ask questions "how do they greet in different countries" or "what are the customs of this or that people." For example, in most European countries, a business handshake will be enough to negotiate with another person and not run into a conflict. The indulgent Germans, French, Italians, Spaniards, Norwegians and Greeks will be satisfied even if the stranger cannot choke them out. mother tongue, but will say something on his own. However, if we are talking about more distant inhabitants of the planet, then knowing how it is customary to greet in different countries will be more than useful.

Words that are spoken at a meeting

The culture and logic of other peoples is sometimes so fascinating and interesting that it is difficult to resist inadvertently starting to greet like other people. What are the only ones that people say to each other when they meet. Some are only interested in business, others are interested in health, and others are not interested in anything at all, except how their pets are doing. Meanwhile, incorrectly answering such questions is considered a kind of huge disrespect, at least it is tactless. Even not the most inveterate traveler is interested in how they say hello in different countries of the world. Words, of course, play one of the most important roles. Now we will find out. What should they be?

What do Europeans say when they meet?

If, during a fleeting meeting with people of a different nationality, you can get off with a simple handshake, then, when paying a visit, it is still customary to greet in the language of the country in which the tourist was lucky enough to be.

The French at a meeting say the famous Bonjour, and then add: "How does it go?" In order not to be considered a fool, you need to answer this question as neutrally and politely as possible. It is not customary in Europe to hang your problems on other people at all.

The German, by the way, will also be very interested to know how everything is going in your life, so in addition to the Hallo remade in its own way, you will also have to answer that everything is fine.

Italians are different from other Europeans. They are much more interested in whether your fulcrum is good enough, so they ask: “How is it worth?”, Which also needs to be answered in a positive tone. The beginning and end of the meeting are similar, because there is one word for all this - "Chao!"

In England, things are not considered to be independent of human intervention, and therefore they are interested in how, in fact, you do them: "How do you do?" But before that, the Englishman will smile fervently and shout: “Hello!” or "Hey!" Which, in fact, is similar to how people say hello in different countries. The greeting "Hey" is the simplest, most understandable, friendly and universal, like the English language.

Greetings in Asian countries

In Asian countries, people live who are most respectful of their traditions, and therefore greetings for them are an important ritual that must be observed.

Japan - Country rising sun. As befits a place with such a name, the Japanese often rejoice at the new day. "Konnichiva" - it seems that this is a word of greeting, but in fact its literal translation is "The day has come." The Japanese are most happy that the sun has risen over their land today. In this case, any greeting is accompanied by a bow. The lower and slower a person bows, the more he respects the interlocutor.

The Chinese, having heard a short greeting “Nihao” addressed to them, will respond just as friendly. And, by the way, they are more interested in whether you ate today than in what you do. This is not an invitation at all, but a simple courtesy!

In Thailand, the greeting ritual is a little more complicated, and instead of words, gestures are used to indicate the degree of respect for the interlocutor. Greeting“Wai”, which can be pulled for a very long time, is also part of the ritual familiar to Thais.

In Romania and Spain they prefer to praise certain time days: "Good day", " Good night", "Good morning".

Many Australian, African times, instead of repeating after the rest of the world and greeting the way they greet in different countries (in words), prefer to perform their ritual dances which are unlikely to be understood by a person who is completely far from their culture.

Traveling around India will really bring pleasure - people are always doing well there, which they share.

Greetings in Russia

A huge country, spread over almost half of the hemisphere, prefers to greet in different ways. In Russia, they do not like fake smiles when meeting people. With a close friend, you can allow an informal “hello”, but older acquaintances wish health: “Hello!” In Rus', it was customary to bow, but over time it disappeared, so just words are enough for a Russian person. Men, wishing to remain gallant, on occasion can kiss the lady's hand, and the girls, in turn, will sit down in a modest curtsey.

There are many cases in history when the rulers of Russia tried to teach people to greet people in a European manner, but one primordially Russian tradition still remained: to welcome a guest with bread and salt at the doorstep is the highest degree of hospitality. The Russian people immediately seat the guest at the table, feed him delicious food and spills drinks.

Welcome gestures

Many rituals are accompanied in some countries by special gestures. Others, when meeting, are completely silent, preferring to express their intentions through gestures or touches.

Loving French people lightly kiss each other on the cheeks, send air kisses. It costs nothing for an American to hug a barely familiar person and pat him on the back.

Tibetans, fearing the reincarnation of an evil king with a black tongue who does not recognize Buddhism, even before verbal communication they prefer to protect themselves first and ... show their tongue by removing their headgear. After making sure that the spirit of the evil king did not inhabit the person, they continue their acquaintance.

In Japan, every greeting is accompanied by a bow. In China and Korea, the tradition of bowing is still alive, but since these countries are now the most developed, then a simple handshake will not be an insult to them. Unlike the residents of Tajikistan, who grab both hands when they meet. Giving one hand is considered a gross mistake and disrespect.

In Thailand, the palms are folded together in front of the face so that the thumbs touch the lips, and the index fingers touch the nose. If the person is respected, they raise their hand even higher, to the forehead.

Mongols at a meeting are interested first of all in the health of livestock. Say, if everything is fine with him, then the owners will not die of hunger. It's a kind of care level.

Arriving to the Arabs, you can see the hands clenched into a fist, crossed on the chest. Do not be afraid - this is also a kind of greeting gesture. Well, the most inventive were the peoples of the Maori tribe in New Zealand, who rub their noses against each other. For a Russian person, such a gesture is very intimate, but knowing how it is customary to greet in different countries of the world, you can adapt to everything.

World Hello Day

It is known from history that peoples did not always get along with each other, and therefore did not greet each other often, completely forgetting about various traditions. Now knowing how to greet people in different countries of the world is a necessity.

However, during the Cold War, it was not like that at all: countries lived their lives in proud silence. In order to somehow solve the problems of distrust between peoples, the World Day of Greetings was invented.

On November 21, do not forget to send greetings to distant countries. For such an idea, we need to thank two people who have been trying for for long years loyalty of peoples to each other. The McCorman brothers - Brian and Michael - decided in 1973 to unite the peoples with the help of simple letters, and this tradition continues to this day.

The most familiar gesture of greeting for us is a handshake. But even in this there are differences: in Russia, for example, it is supposed to greet the first man, and to extend a hand to the woman (if she deems it necessary), and in England - the reverse order. But in any case, He takes off the glove from the hand, and She doesn’t have to (but in this case, you shouldn’t realize the intention to kiss the lady’s hand instead of shaking hands).

In a Tajik family, the owner of the house, receiving a guest, shakes the hand extended to him with his two as a sign of respect.

In Saudi Arabia, on such occasions, after shaking hands, the head of the host places his left hand on the right shoulder of the guest and kisses him on both cheeks.

Iranians, shaking each other's hands, then press their own right hand to their hearts.

In the Congo, as a sign of greeting, people who meet stretch out both hands towards each other and at the same time blow on them.

Peculiar handshakes are common among the African Maasai: before giving a hand, they spit on it.

And the Kenyan Akamba don't bother to hold out their hands: they just spit at each other as a sign of greeting.

The widespread handshake, which initially demonstrated that there were no weapons in the hands of those who met, in the traditions different cultures there is an alternative.

For example, Hindus fold their hands in "anjali": they press their palms to each other in a position with their fingers up, so that their tips rise to the level of the eyebrows. Hugs at a meeting with them are allowed after a long separation and look special in men and women. The representatives of the stronger sex hug each other tightly, patting each other on the back; representatives of the beautiful - holding each other by the forearms, are applied once by cheeks - to the right and left.

The Japanese prefer bows to handshakes, which are the lower and longer they are performed, the more important the person to whom they are addressed.

Saikerei is the lowest, but there is also a medium one when inclined at an angle of 30 degrees and an easy one - only 15 degrees of declination.

Koreans also bowed at a meeting since ancient times.

The Chinese, who are also traditionally more comfortable with bows, nevertheless quite easily switch to greeting through handshakes, and when a group of inhabitants of the Celestial Empire meets a new face, they can applaud - this is supposed to be answered in the same way. And the primordial tradition here was shaking hands ... with oneself.

By the way, in Rus' it was also customary to bow, but during the period of building socialism, this was recognized as a relic of the past.

In the Middle East, a bow with a lowered head, with hands lowered and pressed to the body, when the palm of the right covers the left hand, is a sign of respectful greeting.

And how beautiful the greeting ritual is in some North African states! There they bring the right hand first to the forehead, then to the lips and after that to the chest. Translated from sign language, this means: I think about you, I talk about you, I respect you.

In Zambezi - clap your hands, crouching.

In Thailand, joined palms are applied to the head or chest, and the higher the status of the welcomed person, the higher. This gesture is accompanied by the exclamation "wai".

Tibetans generally do the unbelievable: they take off their hat with their right hand from their heads, and lay their left behind their ears, while still sticking out their tongues. - This proves the absence of bad intentions from the greeting.

The natives of New Zealand also stick out their tongues and also bulge their eyes, but before that they clap their hands on their thighs, stomp their feet and bend their knees. Only “one’s own” can understand this, so the ritual is designed, first of all, to recognize a stranger.

Even more exotic (of course, only in our opinion) are the male Eskimos: they hit each other with their fists on the head and back. Not much, of course, but it is difficult for the uninitiated to understand... However, they can rub their noses, just like the inhabitants of Lapland.

Polynesians also greet each other “gentlely affectionately”: sniffing, rubbing their noses and stroking each other on the back.

In Caribbean Belize, the local population also preserves the originality of the welcoming tradition: there it is supposed to put clenched fists to the chest. Who would have thought that this is a gesture of peacefulness? Fists also participate in the greeting on Easter Island: they are pulled out in front of you at chest level, then raised above your head, unclenched and “thrown” your hands down.

A traditional greeting posture in a number of Native American tribes is squatting at the sight of a stranger. She shows the peacefulness of the greeter, and the counter must pay attention to this, otherwise the Indian will be doomed to a long sitting, because he needs to note for himself that he was understood. According to the laws of hospitality of the African Zulus, at the entrance to the house, you must immediately sit down, without waiting for any invitation and without saying hello - the hosts will do this, but only after the person who has entered has taken a sitting posture.

It is curious that in New Guinea this mimic movement is also used, but to greet foreigners. However, not in all tribes.

Thus, it is customary among koiri to greet each other with a tickling touch of the chins.

The Tuareg living in the Sahara greet no less than half an hour, starting to jump, gallop, bow and sometimes take very strange poses at a distance of a hundred meters from the oncoming one. It is believed that in the process of body movements they recognize the intentions of this oncoming person.

In Egypt and Yemen, the salutation gesture is reminiscent of saluting in Russian army, only the Egyptians, putting their palm to their forehead, turn it in the direction of the one they greet.

A Australian aborigines greet each other with a dance.

Before leaving for an unfamiliar country, it would be nice to find out something about its customs and norms of everyday etiquette. How not to screw up, folding decent and not so gestures from fingers. Now let's deal with greetings in order to reach out in time and not grab for an inappropriate kiss.

Handshake

Where?
Europe, USA, Australia, some countries in Africa, Asia, Arab countries

Habitual for us, shaking a familiar person by the hand at a meeting is one of the most common forms of greeting in the world. Even medieval knights stretched out their hands to each other, as if saying: “my friend, look, there is neither a sword nor an ax in my hand.” And it was the most real sign trust. Among the ancient Greeks, the handshake was an expression of friendliness and hospitality. With such a pleasant meaning, it has survived to this day. But do not rush to pull your hand forward to everyone and everywhere - there are still nuances.

Today, almost all Western Europeans shake hands. The British have slightly distinguished themselves in this matter: they prefer to slightly nod their heads, and only good friends allow their precious hand to be touched. In the UK, it is generally accepted to touch the interlocutor as little as possible.

In the United States, most often they shake hands in a formal setting or when they first meet. Making a round of the office to shake hands with everyone on a normal working day is not accepted here. Just like constantly shaking the hands of all the other people you often see.

And, if you still think that a handshake is an exclusively masculine gesture, then you are deeply mistaken. in the USA and Western Europe women often shake hands with each other and with men (in situations that are conducive to this). So here it is important not to get fooled and not be considered a person who is unenlightened in the topic of gender equality. And here Eastern Europe a little behind in this regard: here the woman herself can extend her hand for a greeting if she wants. Men, on the other hand, most often do not reach out to women first.

As for Asia - you can’t name handshakes here traditional form greetings. But, seeing a European, a friendly Japanese is likely to shake his hand in a Western manner.

IN Arab countries men, after shaking hands, usually press their right hand to their hearts, which expresses respect and friendliness. Well, if very close people met, it’s not out of place to hug and even kiss twice. Arab women they don’t shake hands, but forget about kisses and hugs right away.

kisses

Where?
France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, Latin America, Arab countries

Greeting kisses are also completely different: from hot with passionate hugs to continuous imitation with minimal cheek kissing. Most often, well-known people kiss when they meet, so don’t hope (or, conversely, don’t worry) - no one is going to kiss you right off the bat.

If you still have kisses, it is important not to overdo it with their number. So, in Belgium and Italy they exchange two kisses, in Spain - three. In the Netherlands and Sweden they kiss three times, but in Germany social kissing is not accepted. In France, acquaintances (and even unfamiliar ones) release from two to five alleged kisses into the air, touching each other alternately with their cheeks. In general, in France, the number of kisses varies so much depending on the region that there is even a special interactive mapso as not to kiss indefinitely.

In Turkey, when meeting, men who are relatives or friends of each other usually kiss. In Arab countries, greeting kisses of men are also quite commonplace. But kissing with the opposite sex here, as we have already noted above, is an absolute taboo.

Embrace

Where?
Latin America, possible in Spain, Italy

Inhabitants Latin America usually violently express their emotions. This also applies to everyday greetings. So, if you are happy to see you here, in addition to standard handshakes and kisses, expect hot and sincere hugs. Most likely, only those who are seen for the first time will not get hugs (and even that is not a fact).

And yet remember that hugs are a rather intimate thing, it’s better not to be the first to hug in foreign countries. Well, you never know.

Bow

Where?
Japan, China, Korea and other Asian countries, India

In Asian countries, all these ceremonial things are loved, and bowing is still an integral part of everyday culture here. You can bow in different ways, depending on who exactly you are going to bow to.

So, the Japanese, seeing a friend or acquaintance, lean forward quite a bit, by 15 degrees. Deeper bows are usually intended for very respected people. Europeans in Japan usually shake hands, but it's best not to rush into physical contact with the first person. Personal space is a very important thing for the Japanese, and violating it own initiative- not the best idea.

In China, it is not very customary to bow to everyone - this is considered an exceptionally respectful gesture not for every mere mortal. The Chinese bow for everyday greeting is something like a normal nod of the head. Well, the handshake is becoming more and more common here, especially if you need to say hello to a person of European appearance.

You can also be greeted with a slight bow in Korea and Singapore. In India, women usually bow with their closed palms pressed to their chest, but men have already mostly switched to handshakes.

If you get lost and forget everything

We understand that it is difficult to remember the traditions of greeting all countries in the world. Therefore, if you suddenly get confused - just act according to the situation and do not make sudden movements. You don't have to be the first one to hug and kiss another person unless you're sure it's appropriate. But a friendly smile and a willingness to lend a hand to a new acquaintance will help you get out of most awkward situations.