MOSCOW, November 21 (Sputnik) — World Hello Day, observed annually on November 21, is an unusual and charming holiday which emerged in 1973 during the Cold War between Russia and the United States.
The holiday was founded by Brian and Michael McCormack of Nebraska, the Unites States, who took it upon themselves to send letters with heartfelt greetings around the world as a protest against international tensions, asking the recipients simply to greet someone else.
World Hello Day has been observed by people in 180 countries. Any person can participate in the holiday simply by greeting ten people or more.
A greeting is a natural start to a day, accidental or planned meetings, serious conversations or frank confessions. It contains immense power and can reveal much about the two people greeting each other as well as their relationship to each other and the world around them.
All cultures have their own greeting traditions, but global etiquette is the same: when people meet and acknowledge another’s presence, they wish each other well, a good day or success in their endeavors.
Here are a few examples from among the thousands of unique verbal and gestural greetings from around the world.
An Englishman greets an acquaintance by asking, "How do you do?" whereas a Frenchman will ask "Comment ca va?" ("How's it going?") and a German may say "Wie geht's?" ("How goes it?").
An Italian may not care about how things are going, and when meeting a friend may ask: "Come stai?" ("How are you?"). A Chinese person can enquire, "Have you eaten today?"
Zulus state matter-of-factly: "I see you!" Greenlanders will simply say: "Nice weather!" While Navajo Indians will optimistically exclaim: "All’s well!" Persians have been known to recommend: "Be jolly!"
The famous Islamic greeting of Salaam means “Peace be upon you!" (this is the same as “Shalom” among Jews). It is not unknown for Mongols to ask: "How’s your cattle?" and "How are you migrating?"
In Malaysia they ask: "Where are you going?" (the intriguingly vague reply is: "For a stroll"). In Iran they say “Be happy!" Georgians say "Gamarjoba!" ("Be Right!" or "Win!") The Japanese will say: "Konnichiwa" ("Here’s the day" or "The day has come.") Highlanders of the Pamir and Hindu Kush greet each other by exhorting, “Stay vigilant!" "Don’t ever tire!" The Nakh people of the Caucasus wish each other: "Be free!"
In Africa, a greeting of a Basuto tribe member addressing a chief translates to "I greet you, wild beast!" Maoris may say "Thank you for this morning (day)!" An Indian greets God in the person he meets by saying "Namaste!" which translates to "Bowing to you". Some Native-Americans may greet each other by saying "You are my other me."
Russians, Europeans and Americans often shake hands as a gesture of greeting. An American might greet his friend with a hug. The French exchange handshakes with virtually everyone: at home, on the way to work, when they come to the office or leave for home, on the way home from work, and so on. However, it is impolite to shake someone’s hand twice in a day, as this might indicate that you did not notice the person the first time. The French greeting kiss is very formal: first you touch their left cheek with your right cheek, then their right cheek with your left and then their left cheek with your right cheek again.
The English very seldom offer their hand when they meet, settling for a light nod, and they almost never shake hands when saying goodbye. Hugging is not common in England.
Japanese rules of etiquette are small rituals and the variety of Japanese bows is endless. Men bow to other men of equal social status in one way, to women in another, to their boss in a still different manner, and so on, depending on age, gender or social status of the person in front of you. Upon leave-taking, a Japanese man may bow until you are out of sight. The longer and deeper the bow, the more respect you show.
The kowtow is a traditional Chinese greeting and involves folding the hands in front of the body and bowing. This form of greeting is common among many Asian nations. However, for women this ritual is called Wan Fu, and is somewhat different from the kowtow: she will join her palms together and lower them along her body.
In New Zealand you can see people rubbing their noses together. This is a traditional Maori greeting called "Hongi." Rubbing noses has been an expression of respectful greeting in those lands since time immemorial and it symbolizes an appeal to “ha,” or "the breath of life," a sign of reverence to gods. A similar greeting is also common among Eskimos and some other peoples living above the Arctic Circle. A stuck-out tongue is a traditional greeting in Tibet, but it is an obscene or insulting gesture in most other countries.
It is customary in North Africa to bow and raise one’s right hand first to the forehead, then to the lips and to the chest which should indicate, “I am thinking about you, I am speaking about you, I respect you.” A member of the Akamba tribe in Kenya will spit at an oncoming person, thus expressing his deepest respect, while Masai tribe members first spit on the ground, then on their palm and only then will they shake hands with the person they are greeting.
In India they bring their hands together, palms touching in front of the chest in a graceful fashion, as a sign of respect. Arabs cross their hands on the bosom. Some Native American tribes had a habit of squatting, just in case, until an oncoming stranger noticed them and their peaceful posture. They also sometimes removed their shoes.
In Egypt and Yemen the greeting gesture looks like a military salute: the hand goes to the forehead. In Latin America men have the following greeting ritual: they hug and first pat each other three times on the back, holding their head above the friend’s right shoulder, and pat three more times as they look over the left shoulder.
Tajiks take an extended hand with two hands. Offering only one hand is a sign of disrespect (this is not a universal rule, yet offering two is a must when a host welcomes a guest).
Russians have been enquiring about each other’s health for time out of mind, and the tradition is still alive. Along with the neutral "Zdravstvuyte" (“Be healthy!”) are the casual “Privet” (“Hello”) or "Zdorovo!" both addressed to close friends. Older people occasionally say: "Moyo pochteniye" (“My compliments”) and “Dobrovo vam zdorovya” (“I wish you good health"). A working person is greeted with "Bog v pomosh!" (“God help you!”), an arriving person is welcomed by "Dobro pozhalovat!" while someone coming out of a sauna is greeted with "S lyokhkim parom!" (“Enjoy your steam!”), and so on. There are also such widely used greetings such as: "Dobroye utro" (“Good morning”), "Dobry den" (Good afternoon”), “Dobry vecher” (“Good evening”) and "Dobroy nochi" ("Good night").
Such a wide variety of greetings only serves to remind us that all people are members of one tribe: the Human Race.
