Kiss, hug or just shake hands?

@icesmile (7160)
Romania
April 21, 2010 12:10am CST
Whenever you meet with your relatives or friends you kiss them, hug them or just shake hands with them? In France,Italy, Spain and generally in Latin countries, in my country too when people meet relatives, friends kiss each other on the cheeks, often embracing, that they have let s say warmer reactions, like to kiss and hug often. How t custom in your country? People kiss or hug or are more distant? Prefer just to shake hands with people you meet ... I ask friends and relatives, not all strangers who you know ,or just shake hands as you normally do, how is polite ?.
3 people like this
24 responses
@mokkka (881)
• Bulgaria
10 May 10
Some years later I just used to shake hand with somebody I meet.Now however I go out mainly with macedonian guys so they learned me to kiss when meeting a friend.It is like a tradition for them to kiss each other three times for luck and it in fact shows that these people are close to each other.
@vishkris (205)
• India
7 May 10
i am mostly a guy who shakes hands with all..only to close friends i used to hug
@psyche49f (2502)
• Philippines
25 Apr 10
If the person is not so close to me, a handshake would suffice it, otherwise a hug and a kiss for a long lost friend so dear to me would be appropriate. If the person is a relative then the hug would be sincerely accepted. For me, culture really dictates the type of greeting that would be appropriate. But gestures which are sincere and honest-to-goodness are most welcome....
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
4 May 10
Hi, icesmile. I will hug most of my family members whether it is male or female. And the same goes for my any of my friends too. I normally will shake hands with a male or a female that I just met. For anyone else that I know or am comfortable with, I will hug them. I don't do that much of kissing. Not unless it is my husband and children.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
24 Apr 10
I hug some of my relatives and some of my friends when we meet. If I don't have a close relationship to the people I meet I shake hands with them or we simply greet eachother with words. In my country it is natural to shake hands with the people you meet for the first time or when you are at party with a lot people it is considered polite to shake hands with every single person no matter whether you know them or not. When I was living in Italy my friends always always kissed me when met, and was a different experience for me because in my country we don't usually kiss people when we meet. I was taking an Italian class while I was living in Italy and our teacher kissed us when we left, that wouldn't happen im my own country. In my country teachers usually greet the students with words, and we don't touch eachother physically.
• India
24 Apr 10
I just shake hands with my relatives. I only kiss my mom, little bro and my gf . No1 else can have a kiss from me. I feel guilty when foreigners kiss each other just for meeting . they should change their habbits.
@derek_a (10874)
22 Apr 10
With most of my relatives, it tends to be a quick hug and sometimes a kiss on the cheek. With friends it is usually just a quick "hi" unless they go to hug first, but this only happens with members of the opposite gender usually, but I would give my best friend, who is also a male a bear hug. _Derek
• United States
22 Apr 10
I think it's different for every family, but usually in the United States close family members hug, farther ones may be polite and say hi, that kind of thing. My uncle's ex-wife gives her son peck kisses on the lips, which I never understood, but it's all what you grow up with, I guess. My husband's family hugs at the beginning and end of each visit. My family's always been hug-based, but personally, I can't stand to physically touch anyone who isn't my husband or an animal. I'm awkward with showing intense emotions or even hugging close family members like my parents. I can't stand being touched, even when it comes to hugs. I think it's because I associate physical touching with immense caring which I feel for animals, and/or intimacy, which is only my husband. All in all, it depends on the family, circumstance, culture, and personal feelings, I'd have to say. It's usually enough where I live to acknowledge a person's presence, ask them how they are, etc. Hugs aren't usually necessary unless you want to give them.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
21 Apr 10
Shaking hands should be left for starngers. I can't shake hands with relatives. it feels too cold and uncaring. I at least try to hug relatives, especially if it has been a long time since seeing them. Closest relatives have to have kisses. Anything else we play by ear.
@sasalove (1709)
• China
22 Apr 10
When I see my friends, I would like to give a hug to show my friendness. And I am not used to giving a kiss. When I meet the people in the official occasion, I prefer to shake my hand and I would know how's his or her warmness.
• China
22 Apr 10
If I meet with my friends or relatives hug is a best choice.In my country kiss friends or relatives is not our customs.sometimes we hug sometimes we shake hands.But when you meet with your boyfriend/girlfriend,kiss is a best choice.I often watched many foreign people kiss with each other when they met,I think It's good,It repersent we are welcomig to see you.
• Philippines
21 Apr 10
It depends. There are friends I would most definitely not kiss. Sometimes a simple smile or handshake would do. But when it comes to relatives, I hug and kiss. When it comes to my wife's friends, I just give them a simple smile or a nod. When it comes to my buddies, a pat or a hand slap.
@nangisha (3496)
• Indonesia
22 Apr 10
I think it will depend on gender and how close we are. If with my girl best friend I will kiss them, but my close man best friend they will get only shake hand. I will shake hand with all my relative and that indicate how we respect them. With my friend its will only shake hand too, especially its consider not polite to kiss man that is not your husband in public.
• United States
22 Apr 10
There are certain ones of my relatives (very few) who would hug me upon seeing me (or before leaving), but I would never initiate it. :P Most of my relatives would barely acknowledge me, much less hug or kiss me. (and aren't handshakes usually reserved for strangers?)
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
21 Apr 10
i usually just shake hands or maximum is hugging... i never really kiss my friends or relatives when i meet them... that is just not my custom... i think shaking hands or hugging is already polite enough for me to greet my friends or relatives... take care and have a nice day...
@veejay19 (3589)
• India
21 Apr 10
In my country, India the age old custom of greeting friends, relatives and strangers is to do the "Namaste". This is done by folding the hands by bringing the palms together in front of the face.However this way of greeting is now being replaced by a handshake due to Western influences. The namaste is also done in many South East Asian countries like the Koreas, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia etc. This si due to Buddhist influences and Buddhist monks who travelled from India to these countries in ancient times to spread Buddhism.This is a hygienic way of greeting since germs are not passed from one person to another by handshakes, embraces or kissing.It is also used as a mark of respect and while praying.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
21 Apr 10
In greeting with my female cousins, we always kiss each other on the cheeks. Greeting my male cousins sometimes is just a hug or a hand shake. I only have one male cousin who kisses me on my cheeks when he sees me. As for relatives older than us like grandparents and uncles and aunt, we take their hands and out touch it with our forehead. We call it "mano" in our language. Its a sign of respect if you do that. Its like giving honor too cause you will also be bowing your head when you do it.
@Yula015 (71)
• Philippines
21 Apr 10
In our country we hug or kiss others on the cheek
@kirthy (383)
• India
21 Apr 10
shaking hands is the feel of happy, or respect. this makes their second person to feel about our states. others like kissing, hugging are not in our country custom.
• Philippines
21 Apr 10
in our country, we kiss and hug only.we kiss on the cheeks and hug them but we don't shake hands,very seldom only.