6 ways people around the world say

hello—without touching

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, people around the world are trading their handshakes,
hugs, and hongi (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.

Namaste from India to Nepal

While you might hear the phrase “namaste” accompanied by a mudra (gesture) of upward-
pointing, pressed-together palms, in Western pop culture it’s often stripped of its cultural
context and inappropriately used.

“The history [of the gesture] dates back several thousands of years,” says Divya L. Selvakumar,
a Hindu Indian American with familial origins in Tamil Nadu, and the founder of the American
Hindu World Service. “It is mentioned in the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas [important
Hindu texts].” The Sanskrit term translates to “bend or bow to you,” and so, Selvakumar says,
“a person bows [the head] slightly when doing namaste to another person to signify ‘the
Divine within me bows to the same Divine within you.’ It is considered to be a sign of respect
and gratitude.”

The wai in Thailand

The standard greeting across Thailand, the wai, also involves a gentle bow of the head with
one’s hands pressed together in front—evidence of the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism
on Thai culture, past and present. “Many Hindus and Buddhists say prayers with their hands
pressed together, using the wai,” says Amporn Marddent, a lecturer in the Cultural Studies
Program at the Institute of Liberal Arts, Walailak University, in Nakhon Si Thammarat. “But 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.”

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—thumbs at the top of your head.
Bowing in Japan
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.

“Bowing was initially confined to the noble class but became more prominent among the
samurai warrior class from around the 12th century.” Kaifu says it didn’t permeate the
commoners’ class until after the Edo period in the 17th century. “Bowing originated to show
the class difference...so that the person bowing would be bending the body to make
themselves seem shorter,” says Mika White, CEO of Chapter White Inc., a Hiroshima-based
destination marketing company. 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. “To
honor someone superior or to greet a client, 30 degrees. To show your deepest sorrow,
respect, or apologies, 45 degrees.”

Although 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.

Cup and clap in Zambia

Shaking hands is commonplace in Zambia. But you can also communicate without physical
contact, Zambia Ground Handlers team members William Banda of the Kunda ethnic group
and Gerald Nyirenda of the Tumbuka ethnic group explain. To say a simple hello, cup your
hands together and clap a couple of times while saying “mulibwanji” (meaning “hello,” used
any time of the day) or “mwakabwanji” (good morning). If you’re meeting in-laws, you’ll 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.
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. 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.

Lakota avoidance practices

For some cultures, like the Lakota, intentionally avoiding contact can sometimes be used to
convey respect. 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.

“I always understood the avoidance practices as coming from a place of respect,” Weston says,
“but also having to do with the large kinship networks that our communities lived in.” Kinship
is at the heart of Lakota culture. Physical and eye contact avoidance “was a way to maintain
appropriate boundaries. And maybe in close living quarters or in families that were
multigenerational and may have shared living spaces—through different kinds of conditions in
terms of winter seasons, for example—I think it was just part of a social order.”
The salaam of Islam
With an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, you can expect variations in the
gestures that accompany the traditional salutation “assalaam `alaikum” (“peace be upon
you”).

While many “salaams” (greetings) do involve touch—it’s common within Muslim communities
for members of the same gender or family to greet one another with a handshake, hug or
multiple cheek-side kisses – physical contact isn’t a requirement. In fact, there is an awareness
of physical touch inherent in Islam that informs the way people in the Muslim community
approach greetings.

“There are Hadith—prophetic narrations—where the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon

him) says that touching the opposite gender is forbidden,” 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.