{"id":5175,"date":"2020-04-03T04:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T04:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/?p=5175"},"modified":"2020-04-02T11:43:42","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T11:43:42","slug":"6-ways-people-around-the-world-say-hello-without-touching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/2020\/04\/03\/6-ways-people-around-the-world-say-hello-without-touching\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways people around the world say hello\u2014without touching"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the Thai\u00a0wai\u00a0to the Zambian cup-and-clap, these no-contact salutes convey respect and welcome<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, people around the world are trading their handshakes, hugs, and\u00a0hongi<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(a traditional noses-pressed Maori greeting) for lower-risk gestures such as foot bumps and air high-fives. The current COVID-19 crisis is influencing ways people connect, but for some cultures, no-contact greetings already exist and are the result of deeply rooted traditions rather than pandemic protocol.<\/p>\n

Namaste\u00a0from India to Nepal<\/strong><\/p>\n

While you might hear the phrase \u201cnamaste<\/em>\u201d accompanied by a\u00a0mudra<\/em>\u00a0(gesture) of upward-pointing, pressed-together palms, in Western pop culture it\u2019s often stripped of its cultural context and inappropriately used. These days, the term is unceremoniously plastered on tote bags and T-shirts and uttered at the end of beer yoga classes,\u00a0worlds away from its ancient spiritual origins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe history [of the gesture] dates back several thousands of years,\u201d says Divya L. Selvakumar, a Hindu Indian American with familial origins in Tamil Nadu, and the founder of the\u00a0American Hindu World Service<\/a>. \u201cIt is mentioned in the\u00a0Rig Veda,\u00a0<\/em>the oldest of the four\u00a0Vedas<\/a>\u00a0[important Hindu texts].\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sanskrit term translates to \u201cbend or bow to you,\u201d and so, Selvakumar says, \u201ca person bows [the head] slightly when doing namaste to another person to signify \u2018the Divine within me bows to the same Divine within you.\u2019 It is considered to be a sign of respect and gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sign of the times in New Delhi: The no-touch namaste serves as spiritual protection\u2014and can help stem the spread of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s both humility and reverence in this greeting, and it\u2019s believed that the mudra also protects the person earnestly performing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy folding your hands together, you keep your energy protected and contained, as opposed to absorbing another person\u2019s [energy],\u201d explains Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, a trauma specialist and Nichiren Buddhist.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0wai\u00a0in Thailand<\/strong><\/p>\n

The standard greeting across Thailand, the\u00a0wai<\/em>, also involves a gentle bow of the head with one\u2019s hands pressed together in front\u2014evidence of the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism on Thai culture, past and present.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Hindus and Buddhists say prayers with their hands pressed together, using the wai,\u201d says Amporn Marddent, a lecturer in the Cultural Studies Program at the Institute of Liberal Arts,\u00a0Walailak University<\/a>, in Nakhon Si Thammarat. \u201cBut the history of the wai also comes from the greeting to show that we are very open, we do not carry any kind of weapon, and we come in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to its use in spiritual practice and greetings, the Thai wai has multiple other applications including dance performances, apologies, and even to\u00a0avoid the wrath of playground bullies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Thai wai has many meanings beyond a polite \u201chello.\u201d It is often used in dance performances and to express apologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meaning is quite fluid,\u201d says Marddent, \u201cbut for the current time, when we greet with the wai we also follow by saying \u2018sawatdee kha<\/em>\u2019 or \u2018sawatdee krab<\/em>\u2019 (depending on our gender). So the wai also means hello in a very polite way.\u201d<\/p>\n

And since the wai doesn\u2019t require contact, it makes for a safer salutation during the coronavirus pandemic. Even the director of the pandemic and epidemic diseases department of the World Health Organization,\u00a0Sylvie Briand, recommended the Thai wai<\/a>\u00a0as an acceptable alternative to handshaking.<\/p>\n

To convey a higher level of respect, use a deeper bow and place your hands higher: pressed hands at chest level for a standard greeting; face level for a colleague, elder, or a superior; hairline level for a monk. And if ever you see the King of Thailand, bow deeply and place your pressed hands high\u2014thumbs at the top of your head.<\/p>\n

Bowing in Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n

An obeisance, or gesture of deference, that began as an exclusive practice of the nobility more than a thousand years ago is now the most widely recognized non-verbal greeting of Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cBowing was introduced to Japan in the seventh century from China,\u201d says Yuko Kaifu, president of\u00a0Japan House Los Angeles<\/a>, a cultural initiative of the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a former foreign services officer, Kaifu was expected to understand and properly execute Japanese etiquette in her work as an interpreter for the likes of Japanese Empress Michiko and foreign dignitaries such as President Ronald Reagan and Princess Diana. \u201cBowing was initially confined to the noble class but became more prominent among the samurai warrior class from around the 12th century.\u201d Kaifu says it didn\u2019t permeate the commoners\u2019 class until after the Edo period in the 17th century.<\/p>\n

\u201cBowing originated to show the class difference…so that the person bowing would be bending the body to make themselves seem shorter,\u201d says Mika White, CEO of Chapter White Inc., a Hiroshima-based destination marketing company.<\/p>\n

The Japanese bow of today is not exactly the same as the one used then. White says it has \u201cevolved into the modern bow, where people use this body language to greet each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when you bow now, you can keep your feet planted on the ground. In the past, Japanese lived in homes where tatami mats were the norm and bows were made from a seated position.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s reflective of the change in lifestyle,\u201d Kaifu says. \u201cYou\u2019d sit with your knees bent [on the tatami mats under you] and then bow on your legs. Nowadays, we rarely sit in that style except when we attend tea ceremonies or other traditional practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the key component of the Japanese bow\u2014lowering the head to a degree that matches your intended message\u2014remains intact.<\/p>\n

The bending of the body and lowering of the head convey \u201creverence to others,\u201d Kaifu explains. \u201cWhen you bow, you bow with your head down. You have no intention to assault or attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the degree to which you bend communicates your message. To say hello, the torso should be bent from the hips 15 degrees, White says. \u201cTo honor someone superior or to greet a client, 30 degrees. To show your deepest sorrow, respect, or apologies, 45 degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some handshake alternatives suggested by National Geographic readers.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Although Kaifu says handshaking had also become common in Japan and, pre-pandemic, younger people likely bowed less than older people, the current concerns of coronavirus spread may lead to a larger comeback for the traditional greeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople that used to handshake more than bow may be having a second thought about that,\u201d Kaifu says. \u201cI used to tell people [planning to travel to Japan] you don\u2019t necessarily need to learn to bow because Japanese are used to shaking hands, too. But now, if I have another opportunity to teach Japanese etiquette, it would be safer and more appropriate to teach them to bow, no touch required.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cup and clap in Zambia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shaking hands is commonplace in Zambia. But you can also communicate without physical contact,\u00a0Zambia Ground Handlers<\/a>\u00a0team members William Banda of the Kunda ethnic group and Gerald Nyirenda of the Tumbuka ethnic group explain.<\/p>\n

To say a simple hello, cup your hands together and clap a couple of times while saying \u201cmulibwanji<\/em>\u201d (meaning \u201chello,\u201d used any time of the day) or \u201cmwakabwanji<\/em>\u201d (good morning).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re meeting in-laws, you\u2019ll need to take it a step further. While cupping your hands in the same way as the general hello, squat down low and clap in this position. Lowering your body while greeting conveys greater respect.<\/p>\n

When you meet other elders, you can say hello by placing a hand on your chest and stomach and bending your legs slightly, almost in a curtsy.<\/p>\n

Zambia is home to more than 70 ethnic groups, but Banda and Nyirenda say that these gestures are passed down through the generations and understood by all Zambians, from rural villagers to business people in cities.<\/p>\n

Lakota avoidance practices<\/strong><\/p>\n

For some cultures, like the Lakota, intentionally avoiding contact can sometimes be used to convey respect.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Weston, a member of the Lakota, grew up on the Standing Rock reservation, in South Dakota, and says that while a gentle, fingertip handshake is a common greeting in her culture, she was taught to refrain from physical and eye contact when greeting in-laws or cousins of the opposite gender.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always understood the avoidance practices as coming from a place of respect,\u201d Weston says, \u201cbut also having to do with the large kinship networks that our communities lived in.\u201d Kinship is at the heart of Lakota culture. Physical and eye contact avoidance \u201cwas a way to maintain appropriate boundaries. And maybe in close living quarters or in families that were multigenerational and may have shared living spaces\u2014through different kinds of conditions in terms of winter seasons, for example\u2014I think it was just part of a social order.\u201d<\/p>\n

Royal Lost His Blanket-Stone Jr., the director of the Lakota Studies Department at\u00a0Sinte Gleska University<\/a>\u00a0in Rosebud, South Dakota, says \u201cthese deep-rooted family protocols on how each individual should treat another within the family infrastructure when it comes to eye contact or physical contact\u201d are rooted in Lakota tribal laws and values that existed prior to Euro-American contact.<\/p>\n

For some families, these protocols are still practiced today.<\/p>\n

\u201cStanding Rock is very multicultural and multireligious,\u201d Weston says. \u201cWe have areas that are heavily influenced by Catholic traditions or Episcopalian or Congregationalist, for example. And then there are also families that are much more focused on traditional Lakota spirituality and ceremonies. Then there are families who have blended Christianity and Lakota spiritual practices as well. So it varies by family and depends on what\u2019s passed down in each household.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, as Weston explains, the lack of interaction or physical affection in certain specified relationships does not equate to lack of love. On the contrary, she says, \u201cWe consider [these familial relationships] very treasured and valued. You\u2019re supposed to have ultimate respect for them, especially if they\u2019re not of the same gender as you. So it\u2019s a relationship that you\u2019re supposed to work very hard to preserve and maintain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0salaam\u00a0of Islam<\/strong><\/p>\n

With an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, you can expect variations in the gestures that accompany the traditional salutation \u201cas-salaam `alaikum<\/em>\u201d (\u201cpeace be upon you\u201d).<\/p>\n

Peace is at the core of\u00a0Islam<\/a>, and greeting is part of the spiritual practice, says\u00a0Saifa T. Hussain<\/a>, associate chaplain and advisor to the Muslim and Interfaith community at\u00a0Middlebury College<\/a>, in Vermont. \u201cThere\u2019s this idea of a sacred greeting when you meet a brother or sister\u2014that\u2019s generally how Muslims consider their community. You\u2019re part of an\u00a0ummah<\/em>, like a worldwide community that\u2019s almost familial,\u201d Hussain says. \u201cThere are deep bonds there, and the greetings and the etiquette behind that to foster that unity and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many \u201csalaams\u201d (greetings) do involve touch\u2014it\u2019s common within Muslim communities for members of the same gender or family to greet one another with a handshake, hug, and multiple cheek-side kisses\u2014physical contact isn\u2019t a requirement. In fact, there\u2019s an awareness of physical touch inherent in Islam that informs the way people in the Muslim community approach greetings.<\/p>\n

Humans and culture are complex, and the topic of touch reflects that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are\u00a0Hadith<\/a>\u2014prophetic narrations\u2014where the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) says that touching the opposite gender is forbidden,\u201d Hussain says. She notes that there are other Hadith that some scholars interpret as a handshake between the Prophet and a circle of new Muslims that included women. And then there is the question of how queer and nonbinary believers apply the Hadith in their lives. Humans and culture are complex, and the topic of touch reflects that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are different cultures and ways of being,\u201d Hussain says. And regardless of religion, \u201cit\u2019s not necessarily a given that everyone feels comfortable hugging. People have discomfort with it [physical touch] for other reasons, too. In a multicultural campus or community, we should be aware that there are different etiquettes and different comfort levels with touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

A no-contact salaam may be the best place to start\u2014out of respect for the personal boundaries or the religious or cultural values of the person you are greeting as well as for everyone\u2019s health during the pandemic. You can do as many Muslims do\u2014from Hussain\u2019s own Muslim-American community to Arab cultures in places like Jordan to Muslim communities in Southeast Asia\u2014and simply put your right hand to your heart when greeting.<\/p>\n

Learn why keeping groups small can save lives in the era of COVID-19.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe heart is seen as such an important, sacred symbol in the Islamic tradition,\u201d Hussain says, \u201cmore important than the brain or mind. The heart is seen as where the seat of the soul is. That\u2019s where your spiritual life is. It\u2019s almost like touching your heart is seen as sacred. I\u2019m saying \u2018Peace be upon you\u2019 and this [right hand to the heart] is a gesture recognizing the sacrality of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Say hello to the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

What will greetings look like in a post-pandemic world? As we contemplate and reevaluate greetings\u2014in our own communities and eventually in places where we travel again in the future\u2014we may find that other interrelated issues, such as the role of gendered roots and spiritual practices, also rise to the surface. It all depends on what we choose to carry forward, adapt, or create together as we navigate this new normal.<\/p>\n

Source: National Geographic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the Thai\u00a0wai\u00a0to the Zambian cup-and-clap, these no-contact salutes convey respect and welcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[166],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5175\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=5175"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5175\/revisions\/"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5180,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5175\/revisions\/5180\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5172\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=5175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=5175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.restaurantecostafamara.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=5175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}