During this chaotic period of confusion, it is evident that families and friends spread across the globe wish to remain close. Yet with the transmission and spread of coronavirus threatening love (that would normally be shown through touch), communities are trading their handshakes, hugs, and hongi (a traditional Maori nose-pressing greeting) for foot-bumps and air-fives. No matter how Covid-19 may try to isolate the people, others are being influenced to try harder to connect. While our modern society looks for solutions with this new pandemic protocol, sources of inspiration are being sought from deeply rooted traditions in a range of cultures across the world. So here are 4 ways people around the world say hello (without touching). 

 

1. Namaste from India and Nepal. Namaste might be heard in Western pop culture with the gesture of upward pressed-palms, it is often stripped of its cultural and historical context and is inappropriately used. While we see the term being plastered on tote bags and uttered at the end of beer yoga sessions, it is wolds away from its ancient spiritual origins. '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].” As a proud Indian myself, I have spent years of my life performing the action that it seems second nature to me, yet as a child when questioning its meaning, I was told - The Sanskrit term translates to bend or bow to you, and a person bows 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. There’s both humility and reverence in this greeting, and it’s believed that the sign also protects the person earnestly performing it. 

 

2. Wai in Thailand. The standard greeting also involves a gentle bow 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.' The Thai wai also has many meanings beyond a polite “hello.”  “The meaning is quite fluid,” says Marddent, “but for the current time, when we greet with the wai we also follow by saying ‘sawatdee kha’ or ‘sawatdee krab’ (depending on our gender). So the wai also means hello in a very polite way.” And since the wai doesn’t require contact, it makes for a safer salutation during the coronavirus pandemic. Even the director of the pandemic and epidemic diseases department of the World Health Organization, Sylvie Briand, recommended the Thai wai as an acceptable alternative to handshaking.

 

3. Cup-and-clap in Zambia. Shaking hands is a regular activity in Zambia but you can also communicate without physical contact. 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). 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 people say that these gestures are passed down through the generations and understood by all Zambians, from rural villagers to business people in cities

 

4. Saalam of Islam. With an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, you can expect variations in the gestures that accompany the traditional salutation “as-salaam `alaikum” (“peace be upon you”). Peace is at the core of Islam, and a greeting is part of the spiritual practice “There’s this idea of a sacred greeting when you meet a brother or sister—that’s generally how Muslims consider their community. You’re part of an ummah, like a worldwide community that’s almost familial,” Hussain (a Muslim at the local mosque) says. “There are deep bonds there, and the greetings and the etiquette behind that to foster that unity and love.” 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, and multiple cheek-side kisses—physical contact isn’t a requirement. A no-contact salaam may be the best place to start—out of respect for the personal boundaries or the religious or cultural values of the person you are greeting as well as for everyone’s health during the pandemic. You can do as many Muslims do—from Hussain’s own local community to Arab cultures in places like Jordan to Muslim communities in Southeast Asia—and simply put your right hand to your heart when greeting.

 

Hopefully, these newly adopted ideas and hello forms will keep us tied to our heritage but prepare us for the post-pandemic hello too. It all depends on what we choose to carry forward, adapt, or create together as we navigate this new normal. So rather than ending this article with I goodbye, I virtually bless you all with a new HELLO!