International Greetings

by Skyler Bardon
Grade Level 3rd
Time Needed 15-20 minutes

Standards Social Studies:

Addressed CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT BENCHMARK 3-B
STANDARD 1: Explain how symbols, songs, icons, and
other traditions combine to reflect various cultures
over time.
GEOGRAPHY BENCHMARK 2-E STANDARD 1: Describe
how patterns of culture vary geographically.
Objectives Students will be able to:
Identify similarities and differences between greetings
from various world cultures.
Materials Greeting information sheets (Japan, India, Philippines,
Tibet, New Zealand, Tuvalu) (one for each table)
Procedure 1. Begin by asking, What are some ways we commonly
greet each other here in America?
2. Invite a student to politely greet you at the front of the
classroom. The student should stand up straight, reach
out their hand to shake yours, make eye contact, and
say hello.
3. Ask students if anyone knows why exactly we greet
each other by shaking hands.
4. Tell students that shaking hands to greet each other
was originally intended to show the person you are
greeting that you are not holding any sort of weapon.
5. Tell students that they are going to be looking at some
of the ways in which people of other world cultures
commonly greet each other.
6. Give each group one of the 6 greeting information
sheets.
 7. Tell students to read about their greetings and prepare
a presentation in which they must do the following:
Act out the greeting
Explain the greeting
Explain how their greeting is similar to or different
from our traditional handshake
8. Allow each group to present to the class
Assessment Students will be assessed upon their ability to work
cooperatively with their peers to learn about, demonstrate,
and analyze their given greetings.
Tibet: Sticking your tongue out

Tibetan monks stick their tongue out to greet people. They also press the hands together and place them in
front of their chest to show that they "come in peace". They started doing this to prove that they're not the
reincarnation of a cruel king from the 9th century that had a black tongue.

Philippines: "Mano"

In the Philippines, elders are greeted by taking one of their hands gently and pressing it on your forehead.
They call this gesture "Mano" (which is "hand" in Spanish) and it's used to show respect.
 Japan: Bowing

People greet each other with a bow in Japan. The problem is that their bows differ in angle and duration
depending on the person they're greeting.

India: Namaste

In India, people greet each other with the Ajali Mudr salute. People press their palms together over their
heart and say "Namaste".
 New Zealand: Hongi

The traditional Mori greeting, known as hongi, is similar to the oman greeting except they also press their
foreheads together and look at each others eyes

Tuvalu

The traditional greeting in Tuvalu is to press their cheeks together and simultaneously inhaling.