What do you do when you see close friends, acquaintances and colleagues, or when you meet complete strangers for business meetings? You greet them. It’s just an instinct. How you greet people, however, is where things can get complicated, and even confusing.
Nowadays a handshake is acceptable for almost all occasions, but traditional greetings, some of which are rarely practiced anymore, vary from country to country, region to region, and tribe to tribe.
Culture, history, rumors, superstition – they all play a role in how customs such as sticking your tongue out when you meet a stranger or rubbing noses originate. But what they all have in common is the intention; none are meant to be offensive and most are actually meant to show respect.
In some ways greeting with a gesture is easier than trying to pronounce a word you don’t know and risking getting it completely wrong. An unsuspecting traveler may even end up offending a person by, for example, not asking about family and health while still holding hands. Also, nobody knows how many languages are spoken in the world because they constantly evolve.
A gesture is a more straightforward way of saying hello or goodbye.
24/7 Wall St. looked into how people around the world do to say hello. The following list includes traditional and formal greetings, as well as gestures acceptable among close friends and family that go beyond the standard handshake, kiss on the cheek or wave.
In some parts of Africa, gently squeezing the other person’s thumbs is a common greeting. Both hands are used and both thumbs are slightly squeezed at the same time.
The custom of shaking hands sounds like a classic greeting in Botswana is a unique choreography when practiced between friends. The ritual includes the familiar locking of hands and shaking up and down but only once.
The second step consists of you interlocking your thumb with the other person’s. The third step has you return to the original handshake position. Many people then place their hand over their hearts while asking, “Lae kae?” which means, “How are you?” The stylish choreography gives will make you feel connected to the person you greet.
