Pagmamano

Pagmamano

Mano, also known as pagmamano, is a Filipino

"honoring-gesture" performed as a symbol of
respect for elders and as a manner of receiving a
blessing from them. The person providing the
greeting bows towards the elder's hand and rubs
their forehead on the elder's palm, similar to hand-
kissing. It is frequently directed toward people who
are two generations or older. The fundamental
reason behind this custom is that family is highly
valued in Filipino society.
 The word mano is Spanish for hand while the
word po is often used in Filipino culture and language
at the end of each sentence as a sign of respect when
addressing someone older, akin to English (sir/ma'am).
Put together, mano po literally translates to [your]
hand please as the greeting initiates the gesture of
touching the back of the hand of an elder lightly on
one’s forehead. In Visayas the gesture is
called amin and it is called siklod in Kapampangan.An
identical tradition is followed in neighbouring
Indonesia and Malaysia called salim
 and salam respectively, suggesting that the mano
 Origin
of Pagmamano
 The custom of mano is dated to precolonial times,
and is still followed by the related countries of
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, which the
Philippines shares a common ethnolinguistical origin
with. In these countries however, the custom is
called salim originating from Arabic. Salim is also
done in the family to respect elder family members
and relatives. Salim is also a normal gesture done in a
traditional Islamic society to respect
the ulama (religious elite/scholars)
In today's Philippine setting…
 The mano is still used by Filipinos as a sign of respect to their
elders. It is usually done when the elder is seen for the first time in
the day or upon entering a house or gathering. There is no age limit
for the usage of the mano, but it is usually practiced on those older
by two generations or more.
By offering your hand to mano, you are allowing yourself to be
subservient to the elder to accept their blessing and wisdom. It is
considered impolite if one does not exercise the custom
of pagmamano when entering the home of an elder or after seeing
them at a gathering
The respect for elders stems from the high value of family in
Filipino culture. Filipinos are loyal to their family, such that the
elderly live in the homes of their children and/or grandchildren to
be taken care of, and the nursing home business is almost
 Though the mano po gesture is usually practiced on one's parents,
grandparents, uncles, and aunts, it is not restricted to one’s relatives. 
Godparents are often greeted this way as well. During the Spanish colonial era,
Catholic priests were also greeted this way alongside the European practice of 
hand-kissing, and this still continues today often after a Catholic Mass, though
the latter has fallen out of use.
The reason why Filipinos mano elders although they are not necessarily a
relative is due to the value of family. Filipinos call older non-relatives
"grandfather/mother, aunt, uncle, etc." even when they are not actually related
in this way. By addressing elders in this way, you are acknowledging their age
and the respect you need to show them. It’s considered to be disrespectful to
call an elder just by their first name. [2] Hence, Filipinos treat friends and
acquaintances like family.[citation needed]
The mano po gesture is usually followed by a response of "God bless you"
or "May the Lord have mercy on you" by the elder; the sign of the cross may be
made over the recipient. The latter response of "May the Lord have mercy on
you" is used when the pagmamano is performed with both hands to ask an
Similar Filipino customs
Beso-beso
 Though the mano po gesture is still widely used at
present in the Philippines, many Filipinos have also
replaced this gesture with the beso. The beso-
beso which originated from the Spanish word for kiss,
is a common greeting in the Philippines similar to
the mano. The beso-beso is a cheek-to-cheek kiss.
The beso is more commonly used amongst the upper
classes as a greeting to relatives and close friends, but
is not reserved for an older person unlike the mano
Po at opo
 Similar to the mano po gesture, po and opo are also
distinctly Filipino ways of showing respect to one's elders.[9]
 The po is usually affixed to the end of sentences or phrases
when one is addressing someone older than him or her. For
example, paumanhin in Filipino means sorry. To an elder, one
would say paumanhin po, The word po alone has origins as a
respectful honorific but in contemporary times, it does not
carry its past implications anymore besides its contemporary
meaning to add formality as a sign of respect. This is why it is
affixed to mano and thus is said as mano po when one is
requesting for the blessing of an elder.
End