Good Day, Mate

In different countries, people greet each other in different ways. Knowing the proper way to greet someone might be the difference between offending someone and making a good impression. What might be considered polite in one country can be seen as bad manners somewhere else.

Even in the same country, people in different regions may greet one another differently. For instance, in Canada, the most common greeting is a firm handshake and a smile. However, French Canadians are more likely to greet someone by lightly kissing them on the left cheek and then once on the right cheek.

This is because in France, it is customary for people to greet each other this way.

In Italy, people actually kiss four times, twice on each check.

In Egypt, three is the magic number: left, right, left with alternating kisses.

In Greece, back-slapping will sometimes take the place of shaking hands.

Bowing is considered very important in Japanese culture and how boys and men bow is different than girls and women. Basic bows are performed with the back straight, but boys and men put their hands at their sides while girls and women clasp them in their lap. The longer and deeper the bow, the stronger the emotion or respect expressed.


Even in America, there are different ways we greet each other. The handshake is still the most common way we greet one another; but custom handshakes, usually among friends, have evolved into very sophisticated salutations.

The high five has been around for years and it too has many variations. From up high, down low, to “you're too slow,” or in the hole—“you’ve got soul.”

And don’t forget the fist pump, which has become very popular in recent years.

Americans also have many variations in the greeting language they use. Here are some that I can think of-- please feel free to include additional greetings in the comments section of this blog.

• Hi
  
• Hello
  
• What’s up?
  
• What up?
  
• Wassup?
  
• Sup?
  
• Bro
  
• Dude
  
• What’s going on?
  
• What it is?
  
• What’s the good word?
  
• Howdy
  
• Hey
  
• Yo
  
• How goes it?
  
• What’s happening?
  
• How’s it hanging?
  
• Aloha (Hawaii)

References used to locate the different greetings included here:

http://www.brucevanpatter.com/world_greetings.html
http://www.hawaii.edu/hga/GAW97/greeting.html
http://socyberty.com/languages/unique-traditional-greetings-in-the-world/
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/canada.html