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Wed 8 Mar, 2006 04:39 pm
I know that "salaam" means "peace", and the salute is a form of showing respect for the one receiveing it. But I want to know a little more... As a kid, I remember seeing in an Omar Sharif movie this splendid Arabic salute. Traveling the world, I've met people saluting in the (so to speak) "traditional Salaam manner", by accompanying a low bow with a hand touching the forehead. The thing is, as I remember (from that movie), while performing the bow, the hand was touching the chest, the mouth and only then the forehead. What is the significance of these "touching points" in this salute, and which one is the real one: the simple one, or the complex one?
Interesting question.
I looked around under "hand gestures" but all I could really come up with is:
Quote:Many different gestures are used throughout the world as simple greetings. In "Western" cultures, the handshake is very common, though it has numerous subtle variations of grip strength, amount of "pumping" involved, and use of the left hand.
In Japanese and Korean cultures, a simple bow from the waist (rei in Japanese, panbae in Korean) is used, with many regional variations seen. The Japanese keep the palms of their hands touching the fronts of the thighs, but Koreans hold their hands in hapjang (or hap-ch'ang): palms pressed together and fingers near vertical, a position similar to that usually associated with Christian prayer. This gesture is not found in Chinese societies in daily life, and a slight bow is used only in paying respects to the dead.
The Arabic term salaam, literally "peace" from the spoken greeting that accompanies the gesture, refers to a low bow performed while placing the right palm on the forehead. Some cultures use hugs and kisses even between two men, but those gestures show an existing degree of intimacy and are not used between total strangers. All of these gestures are being supplemented or completely displaced by the handshake in areas with large amounts of business contact with the West.
These bows indicate respect and acknowledgement of social rank, but do not necessarily imply obeisance.
http://www.indopedia.org/Salute.html
I thought the order were reversed, and meant, "my mind, my breath, my heart".
Gracias, Boomy. I only get bits and pieces of information, so few people know about the "extended version" of this salute... But I'll find out the whole meaning, and I'll share it on a topic... someday soon.
