Given the fear of the coronavirus, the Mobile World Congress, which will take place from February 24 to 27 in Barcelona, has suggested that attendees not shake hands during the congress to avoid contagion.
A measure that was already taken in countries like Australia in 2019 when the health authorities recommended greeting each other by bumping their fists to limit the spread of influenza A. But, where does the practice of shaking hands come from? Do all cultures on the planet do it the same way?
It is one of the most common body gestures in the world, but its origin is, to say the least, modern. Both as a gesture of greeting or farewell, as well as a ritual to close any type of agreement, this act has spread throughout the globe, although it is not carried out in the same way everywhere.
There are different theories about the birth of this ritual, but most of them place its birth in Babylon, more than 5,000 years ago. During the New Year celebration, the Babylonian monarch had to perform an act of submission before the Marduk, the highest God of the empire. This act consisted of going towards the statue of said deity and, as a sign of respect, shaking his hand, as a sign of transfer or conference of power. Years later, when the Assyrians invaded Babylon, they began to adopt the same ritual as a sign of respect for the Babylonian gods, thus avoiding the rebellion of the conquered people. Thus, they began to assume it as their own and transferred it to the entire Middle East.
Another of the indications of the handshake, as a sign of showing good intentions, is located in pre-Roman times, with the teseras of hospitality. These tesserae, which were often in the form of animals, intertwined hands or geometric figures, were used as a portable document in bronze or silver of which each committed party kept one half. These pacts were very common in the Western Indo-European peoples and in the Iberian Peninsula, and the Roman organization survived.
There are documents that show that in the Middle Ages this ritual was used to show peaceful intentions with another individual. The knights who were on the road usually had the sword hanging on the left side of the body. However, by sticking out their right hand to greet each other, they were showing their good intentions, as they would not be able to sheath their weapon to attack him by showing that hand. However, in Greece and Rome they did not shake hands in the way we know today, since they grabbed the other person’s wrist and squeezed hard.
Ways of greeting according to the country
Depending on the country where we are, the ways of carrying out this greeting are very different. Although everywhere it has the meaning of greeting or agreement between two people, since this act also usually occurs when some type of business or deal is closed, there are different particularities depending on the culture.
Sometimes, and depending on the place, the handshake is just the beginning of a greeting that ends with a kiss, or two kisses on the cheeks, with a hug or with another similar show of affection. The common characteristic throughout the world is to greet each other with the right hand, due to the greater number of right-handers (only 13% of the population is left-handed). However, there are countries like Korea where handshakes are with the left hand, and even in groups like the Boy-Scouts where they always greet each other with the left hand as a sign of identity and trust.
In places like Japan or India, the custom is to bow to greet, showing more or less respect depending on the degree of bow. However, globalization has meant that in some environments, mostly labor or political, shaking hands is accepted.
In the case of China and Morocco, the handshakes are soft and prolonged, since the opposite is a sign of rudeness. And in Morocco it is only done with people of the same sex. In addition, in the Far East they never shake hands when making the greeting, because it is a show of bad taste, unlike in Europe, which reflects a positive sign of enthusiasm or strength.
In the case of Turkey, it is impolite to give a firm handshake, but the duration must be prolonged. Unlike in the United States, that the squeeze must always be done firmly and decisively.
For its part, in the United Kingdom, you should not push too hard and you should always keep a sufficient distance from the other person in the subsequent conversation.
In some places in Africa, when two people are talking with the intention that no third party joins the conversation, they continually clasp hands to make it understood. And in countries like Russia, women do not usually shake hands, and in Switzerland, however, it is they who must take the initiative.
How to shake hands (in Spain)
According to experts, you have to greet with the right (except left-handed people). As for the position of the hand, the palm must be fully extended, leaving the thumb upwards, and the arm must be stretched at a right-open angle, that is, approximately 120º. Which means that you do not have to fully extend it or just stretch it. Once the hands are together, the fingers should be squeezed firmly, but without going over. Regarding time, the handshake usually lasts a few seconds, although if it is done between known people, it can take longer.
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