National Handshake Day provides a wonderful opportunity for you to go out meet someone completely new and make a new contact perhaps even new business or even a friend.
It varies each year but the final Thursday in June is National Handshake Day
Of all the various forms of greeting, the handshake is perhaps one of the most ancient.
The handshake has existed in some form or another for thousands of years, but its origins are somewhat murky. One popular theory is that the gesture began as a way of conveying peaceful intentions. By extending their empty right hands, strangers could show that they were not holding weapons and bore no ill will toward one another. Some even suggest that the up-and-down motion of the handshake was supposed to dislodge any knives or daggers that might be hidden up a sleeve. Yet another explanation is that the handshake was a symbol of good faith when making an oath or promise.
In ancient Egypt suggests the handshake held a different sort of power, the power of giving. According to Babylonian custom, kings would grasp the hand of the statue of the god Marduk before taking the throne. This act was repeated annually during the festival of Zagmuk to carry his power over into the next year. Even conquering Assyria continued the tradition.
The epic poet Homer described handshakes several times in his “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” most
often in relation to pledges and displays of trust. The gesture was also a recurring motif in the fourth and fifth century B.C. Greek funerary art. Gravestones would often depict the deceased person shaking hands with a member of their family, signifying either a final farewell or the eternal bond between the living and the dead. In ancient Rome, meanwhile, the handshake was often used as a symbol of friendship and loyalty. Pairs of clasped hands even appeared on Roman coins.
As during ancient times, modern-day handshakes have different customs around the world. Women didn’t usually didn’t carry weapons, and therefore didn’t shake hands as a form of greeting. In the United States, Russia, Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom handshakes tend to be firm, but even those with firm greetings have lingering differences. However, in most Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea the grip is light, and there should be no direct eye contact. However, in the Philippines make the eye contact while keeping the hold light.
Then there are the secret handshakes, those elaborate greetings signaling membership in a group, club or society. One of the more famous societies known to use secret handshakes is Freemasons.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Shake the hand of at least one person that you would not have on any other day. You may just want to wish them a good day while doing so. Use #NationalHandshakeDay on social media.
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