Greetings play a very important role in our lives, because this is where communication between people begins. By saying hello, a person shows his attitude towards other people. And how successfully he does this will determine how their further conversation will turn out. With a greeting you can either put a person in a position to communicate or push him away.
Arab countries In Arab countries, people put their hand to their chest and say "Assalamualaikum." This means that they wished you peace from the bottom of their hearts. You can shake hands with an Arab man, but women are greeted only with words.
Japan The Japanese are the most responsible when it comes to greetings. They use three types of bows - the lowest - for the most respected and rich, medium and light. Their greeting "Konnitiva" means nothing more than "the day has come." Moreover, you can say “Konnitiva” strictly from 10 am to 6 pm. Then “Kombanwa” - “good evening” comes into force.
New Zealand To welcome New Zealand's native Maori, get ready for a little gymnastics. When met, the Maoris first shout words in a fierce and abrupt manner, then slap their hands on their thighs, then stamp their feet with all their might and bend their knees, and finally puff out their chests, bulge their eyes and occasionally stick out their tongues.
The most common greeting gesture for us is a handshake. But even in this there are differences: in Russia, for example, the man is supposed to greet first, and extend his hand to the woman (if she deems it necessary), but in England the order is reversed. But in any case, He takes off the glove from his hand, and She doesn’t have to (but in this case, she shouldn’t realize the intention of kissing the lady’s hand instead of shaking hands).
In a Tajik family, the owner of the house, when receiving a guest, shakes the outstretched hand with both of his own as a sign of respect.
IN Saudi Arabia V similar cases after the handshake, the head of the receiving party puts his left hand on the guest's right shoulder and kisses him on both cheeks.
Iranians shake hands and then press their right hand to their heart.
In the Congo, as a sign of greeting, people who meet extend both hands towards each other and blow on them.
The African Maasai have a unique handshake: before offering their hand, they spit on it.
And the Kenyan Akamba do not bother extending their hands: they simply 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, is in tradition different cultures there is an alternative.
For example, Hindus fold their hands into “anjali”: they press their palms together in a fingers-up position, so that their tips rise to the level of the eyebrows. Hugs when meeting are allowed after a long separation and look special for men and women. Representatives of the stronger sex hug each other tightly, patting each other on the back; representatives of beauty - holding each other by the forearms, kiss each other with their cheeks - right and left.
The Japanese prefer bows to handshakes, which are lower and longer, the more important the person to whom they are addressed.
Saikeirei is the lowest, but there is also a medium one, when they are inclined at an angle of 30 degrees, and a light one - at only 15 degrees of inclination.
Since ancient times, Koreans have also bowed when meeting.
The Chinese, who are also traditionally more comfortable with bows, still quite easily move on to greetings through handshakes, and when a group of Chinese residents meet a new person, they can applaud - this is expected to be responded to in the same way. And the original tradition here was shaking hands... with yourself.
By the way, in Rus' it was also customary to bow, but during the construction of socialism this was recognized as a relic of the past.
In the Middle East, bowing with a bowed head with arms lowered and pressed to the body, when the right palm covers the left hand is a sign of respectful greeting.
And how beautiful the greeting ritual is in some North African countries! 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 the Zambezi they clap their hands while crouching.
In Thailand, joined palms are applied to the head or chest and the higher the status of the person being greeted, the higher the status. This gesture is accompanied by the exclamation “wai”.
Tibetans generally do incredible things: they take off their hat from their head with their right hand, and put their left hand behind their ear, while still sticking out their tongue. - This proves the absence of bad intentions on the part of the greeter.
The New Zealand aborigines also stick out their tongues and bulge their eyes, but not before clapping their hands on their thighs, stomping their feet and bending their knees. Only “one of our own” can understand this, so the ritual is designed, first of all, to recognize a stranger.
What the male Eskimos do is even more exotic (of course, only in our opinion): they hit each other on the head and back with their fists. Not much, of course, but it’s hard for the uninitiated to understand... However, they can also rub noses, just like the inhabitants of Lapland.
Polynesians also greet each other “more affectionately”: they sniff, rub their noses and stroke each other on the back.
In Caribbean Belize, the local population also maintains a unique greeting tradition: they are supposed to put clenched fists to their chest. Who would have thought that this was a gesture of peace? Fists are also used in greetings on Easter Island: they are extended in front of you at chest level, then raised above your head, unclenched and “thrown” your hands down.
The traditional greeting pose in a number of Indian tribes is to squat when seeing a stranger. It shows the peacefulness of the greeter, and the person he meets must pay attention to this, otherwise the Indian will be doomed to sit for a long time, because he needs to note to himself that he was understood. According to the laws of hospitality of the African Zulus, when entering a house, you must immediately sit down, without waiting for any invitation or greeting - the hosts will do this, but only after the person entering has taken a sitting position.
Interestingly, New Guinea also uses this facial movement, but to greet foreigners. However, not in all tribes.
So, among the Koiri it is customary to greet each other with a tickling touch of the chins.
The Tuaregs living in the Sahara say hello for at least half an hour, starting to jump, gallop, bow and sometimes take very strange poses at a distance of a hundred meters from the person they meet. It is believed that in the process of their body movements they recognize the intentions of this oncoming person.
In Egypt and Yemen, the greeting gesture resembles the salute in Russian army, only the Egyptians, putting their palm to their forehead, turn it towards the person they are greeting.
And Australian Aborigines greet each other by dancing.
On today's World Hello Day, we decided to talk about how it is customary to say hello in different countries peace, so that those who like to travel would not be at a loss when expressing their respect when meeting a foreigner on his territory.
The French, for example, say “kaman sava” and touch their cheeks three times, imitating kisses from the ancient ritual of initiation into knighthood. Latin Americans exclaim “buenos dias” and rush to hug each other, patting each other on the shoulders. Residents of Samoa sniff each other like dogs, Iranians press their palm to their heart after shaking hands, and among the Tuareg tribes the greeting ritual can take up to half an hour of pure time. The world of greetings is amazing and diverse, just like the world itself. And when traveling, it is important not to make a mistake, given that an accidental gesture can lead to a domestic conflict.
Japanese bows, accompanied by the memorable “konnichiwa” (which literally means “the day has come”), are generally the talk of the town and simply a vibrant tradition. A tradition that, even under the pressure of globalization, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun do not strive to break even in relation to guests, so to speak, “gaijins”. Therefore, you will have to take into account and adapt, memorizing the three types of bows. Saikeirei - the most respectful, addressed to a person of high social status or a venerable elder, hangs at an angle of approximately 45 degrees; 30 and 15 degrees are the angles of inclination of the body when greeting the Japanese with a person occupying a lower position in society or simply with a much more familiar one. And don’t hesitate to ask about status right away and in person, even before greetings, because the Japanese themselves or the same Koreans from the south, whose country was under Japanese rule for a long time and adopted many traditions, are not shy about doing this.
But the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom have a much better attitude towards new foreign trends. The Chinese do their best to greet the European style, by the hand, but mainly with the big-eyed guests of the country, thereby expressing their respect and respect to them. And the best way to show respect to the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire is with their traditional gesture, which in our country is considered the favorite gesture of politicians from Hollywood movies - shaking hands with yourself, with your hands raised above your head. And don’t be at a loss if a group of Chinese decides to applaud you a little when you meet - it really takes a long time to greet everyone and there is no need, and it’s better to clap your hands in response.
No less famous than the Japanese bows is the “anjali” greeting gesture, common in India - those same palms folded together, pressed to the chest. But to the chest is a neutral position of the hands, addressed to a stranger whose social status it is not possible to determine. And if it works out, and the social position of the person you meet inspires respect, then your hands rise higher, with the forehead as the maximum point. And this gesture is far from only Indian - a similar style of greeting is widespread throughout Southeast Asia, and, say, in Thailand it is accompanied by a sonorous “wa-a-ay.”
If you remember the second part of the comedy film about the misadventures of a pet detective named Ace Ventura, then you should know that the greeting with spitting (and often in the face) was not taken out of the blue, but is actually common among some African tribes. For example, it is present among the Kenyan Akamba tribe, popular among lovers of ethnographic recreation, so it’s worth keeping in mind. Even more popular among tourists who love to spend their holidays among wild but hospitable tribes, the Maasai customarily greet each other with a handshake, but with the condition that you should definitely spit on your own hand. And only with the second spit - the first is done on the ground, otherwise this is already an expression of disrespect.
Another place for ethnographic recreation is Greenland, a place where among the Eskimos men greet each other with light blows to the back and head, which surprisingly does not fit with the basis of all gestures and traditions of greeting - to show the stranger their peaceful and respectful attitude.
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 your interlocutor by greeting him traditionally. 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 in different countries, so as not to lose face and win over others.
What does greeting mean?
Even when humanity developed and grew throughout the entire 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 was most important to them. A greeting personifies mentality, outlook on life; when meeting, people pay attention to each other with various gestures and facial expressions, and sometimes words carry a deeper meaning than it might seem at first glance.
Over time, the earth's inhabitants gathered into peoples, created their own countries, and preserve their traditions and customs to this day. Sign good manners is knowledge of how people greet in different countries, since greeting a foreigner according to his customs is nothing less than the deepest respect.
and greetings
Traditions are not always preserved. IN modern world where everything obeys certain standards, it is not at all necessary to ask questions “how they say hello 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 come to an agreement with another person and not run into conflict. Indulgent Germans, French, Italians, Spaniards, Norwegians and Greeks will be satisfied, even if the stranger cannot squeeze out a greeting in their native language, but says something in his own. However, if we are talking about more distant inhabitants of the planet, then knowledge of how it is customary to say hello in different countries will be more than useful.
Words that are said when meeting
The culture and logic of other peoples are sometimes so fascinating and interesting that it is difficult to resist accidentally starting to say hello like another people. Just look at the things 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, answering these kinds of questions incorrectly is considered a kind of huge disrespect, at least it is tactless. Even the most avid 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'll find out. What should they be?
What do Europeans say when they meet?
If, during a fleeting meeting with people of another nationality, you can get away 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 find himself.
When meeting the French, they say the famous Bonjour, and then add: “How is it going?” In order not to be branded a fool, you need to answer this question as neutrally and politely as possible. In Europe, it is generally not customary to blame your problems on other people.
A German, by the way, will also be very interested to know how everything is going in your life, so in addition to Hallo being 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 support point is good enough, so they ask: “How is it standing?”, 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 it all - “Ciao!”
In England it is not at all believed that things go on independently of human intervention, and therefore they are interested in how you actually do them: “How do you do?” But before that, the Englishman will smile cheerfully and shout: “Hello!” or "Hey!" Which, in essence, is similar to how people greet each other in different countries. The greeting “Hey” is the simplest, most understandable, friendly and universal greeting, just like the English language.
Greetings in Asian countries
In Asian countries there live people who are the 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. “Konnichiwa” seems to be 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. Moreover, any greeting is accompanied by a bow. The lower and slower a person bows, the more he respects his interlocutor.
The Chinese, hearing the 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 are doing. This is not an invitation at all, but simple politeness!
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. The greeting word “Wai”, which can be drawn out for a very long time, is also part of the ritual familiar to Thais.
In Romania and Spain they prefer to praise a certain time of day: “Nice day”, “ Good night", "Good morning".
Many Australian and African times, instead of repeating after the rest of the world and greeting the way they greet in different countries (with words), prefer to perform their own ritual dances, which are unlikely to be understandable to a person completely far from their culture.
Traveling around India will truly bring pleasure - people there are always doing well, which they share.
Greetings in Russia
A huge country, stretching over almost half of the hemisphere, prefers to say hello in different ways. In Russia they don’t like fake smiles when meeting people. With a close friend, you can allow an informal “hello,” but for older acquaintances, they wish you health: “Hello!” In Rus' it was customary to bow, but over time it disappeared, so just words are enough for a Russian person. Men, wanting to remain gallant, may, on occasion, kiss the lady’s hand, and the girls, in turn, will curtsy modestly.
There are many cases in history when the rulers of Russia tried to teach people to greet people in the European manner, but one original Russian tradition still remained: to greet a guest with bread and salt at the doorstep highest degree hospitality. The Russian people immediately seat the guest at the table, feed him delicious food and pour out drinks.
Welcome gestures
Many rituals are accompanied in some countries by special gestures. Others are completely silent when meeting, preferring to express their intentions through gestures or touches.
Loving French people lightly kiss their friend on the cheeks and send air kisses. It doesn’t cost an American anything to hug a person they barely know and pat them on the back.
Tibetans, fearing the reincarnation of an evil king with a black tongue who does not recognize Buddhism, even before verbal communication, prefer to first protect themselves and... show their tongue by removing their headdress. After making sure that the person has not been possessed by the spirit of the evil king, they continue their acquaintance.
In Japan, any 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, a simple handshake will not be an insult to them. Unlike the residents of Tajikistan, who grab both hands when meeting. Giving one hand is considered a gross mistake and disrespect.
In Thailand, the palms are folded towards each other in front of the face so that the thumbs touch the lips and the index fingers touch the nose. If the person is respected, the hand is raised even higher, to the forehead.
When meeting Mongols, the first thing they are interested in is the health of livestock. They say that if everything is fine with him, then the owners will not die of hunger. This is a kind of degree of care.
Arriving at the Arabs, you can see their hands clenched into a fist and crossed on their chest. Don't be afraid - this is also a kind of greeting gesture. Well, the most inventive people turned out to be the people 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 say hello in different countries of the world, you can adapt to everything.
World Greetings 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 different traditions. Nowadays, knowing how people say hello in different countries of the world is a necessity.
However, during the Cold War, everything was completely different: countries lived their lives in proud silence. In order to somehow solve the problems of mistrust between peoples, World Greetings Day 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 working for for long years loyalty of peoples to each other. The McCorman brothers - Brian and Michael - decided in 1973 to unite peoples through simple letters, and this tradition continues to this day.
At the height of the Cold War, Americans Brian and Michael McCorman from Nebraska, as a sign of protest against increasing international tensions, sent letters with warm greetings to all corners of the world and asked the recipient to simply say hello to someone else.
Each nation has its own customs of greeting each other, but international etiquette is essentially the same: goodness and prosperity, Have a good day or success at work.
Englishman greets an acquaintance with the question “How do you do?” — (literally “How are you acting?”), Frenchman will ask: "Comment ca va?" ("How is it going?"), German - "Wie geht"s?" ("How is it going?").
Italians The progress of the acquaintance’s affairs is not at all interested in him; when they meet, he will exclaim: “Come sta?” - “How are you standing?” Chinese will ask: “Have you eaten today?” Zulus state: “I saw you!”, Greenlanders they will simply say: “Nice weather!”, and Navajo Indians They will exclaim optimistically: “Everything is fine!” Persians They 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 are you traveling?” IN Malaysia They ask: “Where are you going?” (to which they vaguely answer: “To take a walk”). The famous "Salaam!" means "Peace be with you!" (like "Shalom"). IN Iran they say: “Be cheerful!”, Georgians greet with the word “Gamarjoba!” - “Be right!”, or “Win!”. Japanese they will say: “Konnitiva” - “here is the day”, “the day has come”, Highlanders of the Pamirs and Hindu Kush greet each other with the wishes “Be vigilant!”, “Don’t know fatigue!”, Vainakhs- the wish “Be free!”
IN African tribes groups Basotho the best greeting, when addressed to leaders, sounds like “Greetings, wild beast!” Maori they will say something like “Thank you for this morning (day)!” Hindu greets God in the person of the person he meets - “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 another question: “How do you sweat?” Romans greeted each other with the wish of health “Salve!”, and ancient Greeks They said to each other “Rejoice!”
Russians, Europeans, and Americans shake hands as a greeting gesture. A young American greets his friend by clapping him on the back. In France, in an informal setting, even unfamiliar people kiss when meeting and saying goodbye, touching each other’s cheeks one by one and sending one to five kisses into the air.
Emotional Latinos hugging, freezing Laplanders rub their noses against each other, Polynesia rub their noses and stroke each other on the back, men Eskimos lightly punch each other on the head and shoulders.
Friendly Japanese bow as Chinese. However, in modern China, acquaintances greet each other with the favorite gesture of actors and politicians - clasped hands raised above their heads. And our greeting gesture - the palm facing the interlocutor, swaying left and right - will be interpreted by the Japanese as a farewell gesture. The Japanese greet each other by waving their open palm facing the interlocutor away from themselves (back and forth).
Samoans sniffing each other Tibetans remove the headdress with the right hand, and put the left hand behind the ear and stick out the tongue. IN North Africa It is customary, after bowing, to raise your right hand to your forehead, to your lips and to your 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 right hand. In the tribe Akamba in Kenya they spit on people they meet as a sign of deep respect, and in the tribe Maasai when they meet, they first spit, then spit on their own hand, and only then shake hands. On Zambezi clap their hands and 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 the stranger they met approached and noticed this peaceful pose. Sometimes they took off their shoes.
IN Egypt and Yemen the greeting gesture resembles a salute - the palm is placed on the forehead. IN Latin America men, when greeting, perform the following ritual: they hug and first knock three times with their hand on the friend’s back, holding their head above his right shoulder, and knock on the back three more times, holding their head above his left shoulder.
Tajiks shake an outstretched hand with both hands - to extend only one in response is disrespectful (the rule is not universal, but it is mandatory, for example, for a host greeting a guest).
IN Russia Since ancient times, people have been asked about health when meeting, and this tradition has survived to this day. Analogues of the neutral “Hello” are the friendly “Hello” or “Great!”, the official “Allow me to greet you!”. Older people sometimes say: “My respects” and “Good health to you.” Greeting to a worker - “God help you!”, to someone who comes - “Welcome!”, to someone who has washed in the bathhouse - “With light steam!" and so on. There are forms of greeting: " Good morning", "Good afternoon", " Good evening", "Good night"…
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources