Whilst away, something that really caught my eye was how the different cultures and societies we visited greeted one another. Although this was a hard moment to capture on camera, i did get the opportunity to speak to a few people on their cultures etiquette.
Here in Australia we are commonly known to greet each other with slang. As most people overseas assume we all have pet koalas and ride to work on kangaroo's it was nice to compare etiquette. As i am aware of there aren't any formal considerations when greeting someone here in Australia. Usually an Australian greeting consists of 'Gday mate' or 'how are ya' coinciding with a handshake. You may give a kiss on the cheek to elders as a sign of respect but nothing as caring as i discovered overseas. As you can imagine a kiss on the cheek, male to male, or a hand over the heart would be quite 'unusual' to Australian's. This says a lot about our culture, and the laid back Australian way.
Below is a video of a guy who went travelling around the world and got people to say "G'day Mate" I wish i thought of this when i was on the tour. Not only is it funny to watch but it is great to see the cultures uniting for a laugh.
Malaysia
As Malaysia is a multicultural society the greeting you receive in a social context is widely based on the culture you are addressing, which is to be expected. Talking with a shop keeper in the KLCC she said majority of Malay's are familiar with western greetings so will often handshake. She also mentioned that there are different greetings according to gender, such as, Malay women wont shake hands with men, but women can shake hands with women. If a man wont shake a women's hand they will usually bow whiles place their hand of their heart, this is a courteous gesture.
This procedure coincides with the traditions of Islam.
When it comes to the Chinese culture in Malaysia, they to, have their own handshake, which is prolonged. Men and women may shake hands but the women must extend her hand first and both parties will lower their eyes as a sign of respect.
The Indian culture in Malaysia follows a similar procedure, they will shake hands with members of the sex but when being introduced to someone of the opposite sex, they will nod and smile which is deemed sufficient.
Among all cultures found in Malaysia there is a introduction order. The most important person to the lower ranking person should be introduced first, then older to younger, followed by women to men.
A particular thing i noticed in Malaysia was when asking someone to do something or if something was available they would answer with 'i will try' or 'i will see what i can do' instead of saying no. This is a way to keep face within a relationship which i believe says a lot about their calm and peaceful demeanours. I also noticed that when we would go on tours and use a bus, when exiting the bus, it became a common occurrence that when we would say thank you, the male drivers wouldn't respond to women, only the men in the group would receive a response.
In Malaysia your family is considered the centre of the social structure. It is very important to Malays to emphasise unity, loyalty and respect for the elderly which is apparent in the way they greet one another. Even though Malay's all a small wage, if someone in their family needs financial support the entire family with contribute to do what they can to resolve the situation.
How Malays greet one another, i believe show's a lot about their nature and reflects greatly on their religious beliefs.
Turkey
In turkey we were all quite surprised to see men walking up to men and kissing them on the cheek.
Much like Malaysia greetings among men and women differ. Among Turks it is very common when greeting one another to maintain eye contact although sometimes women will avoid eye contact with men. Men will exercise a firm handshake or they will hug, other men will kiss each other on both cheeks.
Another greeting i witness in Turkey on the rare occasion was men greeting each other by making their temples touch this is said to be a greeting among people supporting a common group, or dominator.
Greetings women to women are the same as above but men greeting women and women greeting men would not greet each other the same way. Due to their religion it is often prohibited for the person to touch the opposite sex so the greetings between sex's often goes on cues. If their hand or cheek is offered then it is courteous to do the same. If you are offered neither then it is politic to say Merhaba (hello) or Asalamu Alaykum (peace be on you).
Turkish people appear to having a touch feely nature. Often we would see men with men and women with women linking their arms. Although this is common, not touching happens below the waist as this is deemed a sexual innuendo.
One day a small group of us went to a little Italian restaurant in the area and when we went to leave the owner of the restaurant asked us to sit and have a tea with him. As we tried to decline we got the impression that he would be very disappointed if we left and it would be rude to do so therefore we sat down, had a mint tea and watched the snow fall outside through the window. During this time i took it upon myself to ask him why men greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, his response "because they are all my brothers".
This to me, was the epitome of the Turkish society that we got the chance to experience. Although they drive a hard bargain they were friendly, talkative, and we very community orientated. Due to the population being majority Muslim, i didn't expect as much of a relaxed nature and greeting etiquette.
Spain
In Spain regardless of who you are the Spaniards are extremely flirtatious. Religious implications don't appear to affect the way the Spanish greet each other. Men and women will shake hands with either sex and will often kiss both cheeks. Although it is offensive to hug a Spaniard that you don't know well.
Often the men will yell flirtatious comments , usually these will be along the lines of "guapa" (beautiful) or "mi amor" (my love).
Something I've heard people say about Spanish people is that they are always late. They talk as if they are in a hurry, expect to be interrupted but when it comes to other things the Spanish trademark is delay and procrastination.
The above was evident in Spain. This reflects their bubbly, enthusiastic nature. I found they are always looking for a good time, but are a very modest culture.
Morocco
Different from Spain, religion has a massive influence in Morocco and affects the way people greet, to one another and between the sex's. Moroccan's value more than anything, their dignity and honour not only in regards to themselves but also to their family members.
The greetings practiced in Moroccan are very similar to Malaysian culture and this reflects their Islamic beliefs.
It is common to shake between the sex's but if a women doesn't extend her hand first the male must bow his head.
I found Moroccan's to be extremely friendly and i often noticed the above, the owner of the riad in Fes when greeting us bowed when Halim introduced us individually. Often they would also shake our hand but place their other hand over the top, with slight pressure.
Learn how to greet people in Morocco
Between the four countries we visited i was fascinated as to how their greetings coincided with Islamic beliefs and i wondered how that affected their day to day life, friendships, family etc. I found Malaysia, Turkey and Morocco to be extremely family and community orientated. Having lived in Australia my entire life and growing up with a diverse culture, i still felt that the people overseas had more morality and values than Australian people.
As this reflected greatly on the Islamic culture it reminded me just how beautiful the religion is.
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