Greetings from around the World!
Richard Hale
? 26 years' experience & expertise, helping businesses remove the stress & expense of localisation, by providing accurate specialist translation services on time, every time. Over 2600 clients helped so far! ??????????
When you visit another country, one of the things you quickly realise is that people greet each other differently. It’s always nice to be prepared when you travel abroad and to show respect for different languages and cultures by learning the country’s customs. A ‘bonjour’, ‘guten Tag’ or ‘buongiorno’ shows you’re interested in getting to know the locals, and as a greeting is the very first thing we say or do, it is very important for making a good first impression!
We’ve scanned the globe to find some of the most fascinating ways that people greet each other around the world. Here are our favourites…
- In Malaysia, it’s customary to reach out to the person you’re greeting and touch their fingertips and then bring their hands to your heart – heart-warming!
- The Japanese bow when they meet each other – the angle and duration of the bow also vary depending on who they are greeting
- In Oman, men touch their noses together when they greet one another
- Tibetan monks stick their tongues out when they greet people. This is their way of showing that they’re not a reincarnation of an evil king who had a black tongue!
- In Greece, a slap on the back is a typical way of greeting someone
- The Maori people of New Zealand press their foreheads together and stare into the eyes
- In the Philippines, you greet your elders by taking their hand and pressing it against your forehead to show respect
- The Masai tribe of Kenya greet visitors by doing a jumping dance where they see who can jump the highest!
So forget the traditional handshake – why not try out one of these the next time you meet someone?
Sources:
https://guff.com/15-ways-people-greet-each-other-from-countries-around-the-world/botswana