Coronavirus has changed our lives in many ways, some fundamentally, and some in habits practised for centuries around the world. One is personal greetings.
Close contact is now taboo, killed by fear of infection, and replaced by safer rituals.
Like the UK, many countries have had to give up their traditional greetings.
No more nose bumping, favoured in the Middle East, and definitely no ‘tongueing’ by monks in Tibet.
So, too, fortunately, is sticking out tongues, an unseemly practice of monks centuries ago. It was their way of demonstrating that they came in peace and were not a reincarnation of the hated King Darma, known for his black tongue.
We now have the ugly and, I think rather ridiculous, ‘elbow bump’, used ostentatiously by our Prime Minister and Health Secretary for England Matt Hancock.
One of the most widespread customs was the ‘air kiss’, practised in Europe, the United States and Latin America, Canada and even Russia - two or three gentle kisses on alternate cheeks, taken up in recent years in Britain. We had our bone crunching handshakes.
There are different versions of hand shaking with back of the hand contact for wet or dirty hands.
Other countries are fortunate in being able to carry on as normal with their ‘pleased to meet you’ habits.
Japan has its solemn bows and an etiquette that the lower the bow the greater the respect. Then there’s forehead touching, hand on heart, eyebrows raising
Most dangerous these days is kissing.
So many changes forced by coronavirus.
Will the world greet freedom by going back to their way of greeting and meeting?
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