Hand-kissing

Hand-kissing is a gesture indicating courtesy, politeness, respect, admiration or even devotion by one person toward another.

A hand-kiss is initiated by the person receiving the greeting by holding out their hand with the palm facing downward; or by the person giving the greeting, by extending a hand to grasp the recipient's hand. The person kissing bows towards the offered hand and (often symbolically) touches the knuckles with their lips, while lightly holding the offered hand. However, the lips do not actually touch the hand in modern tradition, especially in a formal environment where any intimate or romantic undertones could be vastly inappropriate. The gesture is short, lasting less than a second.

Hand-kissing has become rare and is mostly restricted to the conservative upper class or diplomats.

In Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, hand-kissing is a common way to greet elder people of both genders, primarily the closest relatives (both parents, grandparents, and uncles or aunts) and teachers. Occasionally, after kissing the hand, the greeter will draw the hand to his own forehead.

The hand-kiss is used quite prominently in The Godfather series, as a way to indicate the person who is the Don. It also features in epoch films, such as Dangerous Liaisons.

A hand-kiss was considered a respectful way for gentleman to greet a lady. The practice originated in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Spanish courts of the 17th and 18th centuries. The gesture is still at times observed in Central and Eastern Europe, namely, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Russia.

Traditionally, the hand-kiss was initiated by a woman, who offered her hand to a man to kiss. The lady offering her hand was expected to be of the same or higher social status than the man. It was a gesture of courtesy and extreme politeness, and it was considered impolite and even rude to refuse an offered hand. Today, the practice is very uncommon in Northern European countries, and has been largely replaced by a kiss on the cheek or a handshake.

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Wikipedia