Monday, July 2, 2007

How Do Greetings Differ Around the World?

There is a range of different greetings around the world, fom a simple "hello", a hadshake , a kiss, or a bow, to sticking out your tongue in Tibet!!But how you shake someone's hand in one country may differ from the custom in another. In some countries you kiss as a greeting. But how many times do you kiss? Which cheek so you start wth? In which countries do you bow? Here are some examples of greetings from few parts of the world.
A bow is a light handshake with eyes averted is the usual greeting in most Asian cultures where people do not like to have body contact when greeting. In China and Taiwan, shaking hands is customary, but people often not their hands or give a slight bow as well. The Chinese like to applaud, and a visitor may be greeted with a group of people clapping their hands. When you are applauded, you must return the applause or say thank you.

Bow is the traditional form of greeting in Japan, also in Korea. people in the Philippines are much more touch- oriented than those in other Asian cultures. Here, handshaking is a common custom, with both men and women shaking hands in a friendly fashion. Filipinos may also greet each other with a quick flick of the eyebrows.

In Malaysia, people greet each other saying, "Where are you going?" But this is not really a question. he polite answer is, " Just for a walk." In India, people greet each other with " Namaste." As they say this, they bend or nod and out their palms together as though they are playing.
European greetings very from shaking hands to kissing. In Britain, they do not like physical contact as much American culture do. So, they opt for the handshake. Germany follows the same rules as Britain. I France, however, kissing i the rule. In most places, a two-kiss greeting is polite, but in Paris, the greeting is four kisses, starting with the left cheek. In Brittany, there is a three-kiss greeting, and in most other parts of France it is a two-kiss greeting. Greetings in

Senegal take the form of handshakes, and they are even more significant there.In Senegal, a person will stop doing something really important to spend ten minutes greeting a person that he or she has seen n hour ago. This is to acknowledge the existence of another human being and hour ago. This is to acknowledge the existence of another human being and is seen as a priolity in Senegalese culture. Every member of the community greets every other member, regardless of status or wealth.

Some culture have variations on these common greetings. For example, The Inuit of North America traditionally used the knuik in place of he kiss. The kunik involves placing noses next to each other and lightly rubbing or sniffing. Most Inuit now use their lips to kiss, but the kunik is sometimes still used with chldlen. Though most New Zealanders use a handshake when greeting, the tradition of the native Maori people is to press noses together to show trust and closeness.

Of course, these are only a few of the greetings used around the world. There are even more variations in other countries. Leaning about these customs not only makes us more polite travelers, but also gives us insight into the differences between people around theworld, as well as an understanding of each country's special values.

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