An Unusual Gesture

[Villamvihar]

Body language is extremely important in communication no matter the language you speak. Only very little information is transmitted to another person verbally and paying attention to the gestures as well as the body of people whom one speaks to can go a long way. That said, body language is not universal at all and changes from culture to culture. For example, did you know that amongst certain tribes, spitting at people counts as a greeting? Just as there are countless languages, there are countless body languages as well.

Your task is to create at least three unusual elements of body language that are particular to a certain culture, or could be horribly misunderstood by other cultures because of their conventions. Describe what the action exactly is, what emotion it expresses and how it is used!

 

[Minibit]

A kiss on the hand:

Meaning one: deep, humble respect.
One might use a kiss on the hand to greet, part from, acknowledge, or apologize to a person you feel - or are expected to be - this way toward. One might hold ones hand out for a kiss to assert this kind of position

Meaning two: seductive affection
Kissing the hand is sexy! Going off the face/head in general with affectionate touched is considered more lewd, but a kiss on the hand can be described as the classy equivalent to a tongue in the ear

 

[Zachary-Sama]

[BCOLOR=#ffffff]Getting down on one knee[/BCOLOR]

Meaning 1: Worship or great respect.
In medieval/feudal times, getting down on one knee was a symbol of great respect, as you were literally dropping to your knee to pay respects, no matter the location. This was mostly done to Kings, Queens, or saints. If someone did this to another person, it was a symbol of loyalty and respect.

Meaning 2: Proposal.
In recent years, this gesture is how most people (usually males) would begin their marriage proposal. It's more common now, since one no longer has to appeal to the parents he SO to ask for their hand in marriage. Which brings me to the significance to this gesture. Like in Meaning 1, this is a sign of loyalty and respect. But, above all else, this is a sign of love. This gesture is literally getting down on your knee and asking a person who you think highly of to ask for their hand, which is where you put the rings, or you' kiss the hand for the Kings and Queens mentioned in meaning 1 (As @Minibit mentioned)