Greetings

thumb|right|Maternal Kiss, an 1896 painting by Mary Cassatt. thumb|A forehead kiss right|thumbnail|American sailor kissing his infant son right|thumbnail|Kissing the gospel right|thumbnail|Graduates of the Basic Patrol Course in Afghanistan kiss the [[Quran after the graduation ceremony.]]

thumb|Translations of the word welcome shown in many places frequented by foreigners or tourists to welcome people of all different nationalities

thumb |upright |Pressing hands together with a smile to greet namaste – a common cultural gesture in India

thumb|Two people shaking hands

thumb|Soviet Armed Forces|Soviet veterans saluting in the [[2005 Moscow Victory Day Parade]] thumb|An Indonesian National Police general giving a salute thumb|Pakistan army soldiers saluting British-style, palms facing outward thumb|North Macedonian soldier saluting on behalf of his men during a performance of the Denes nad Makedonija|North Macedonian national anthem thumb|Scouting leader and a new Scout exchange salutes.

Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many European countries. It is also used in religious contexts, as a form of worship or veneration. Sometimes the gesture may be limited to lowering the head such as in Indonesia, and in many cultures several degrees of the lowness of the bow are distinguished and regarded as appropriate for different circumstances. It is especially prominent in Nepal, India, Cambodia, T

gesture used as salute attributed to the Roman Empire

celebratory hand gesture

welcome greeting ceremony in some Slavic, Nordic, Baltic, Balkan and Middle Eastern cultures in which guests are presented with a loaf of bread and salt

fictional gesture of salutation from Star Trek

Thai greeting consisting of a slight bow with the palms pressed together

celebratory or greeting gesture

thumb|A United States Air Force|U.S. airman and a Māori warrior exchange a during a [[pōwhiri ceremony.]] thumb|upright|Two Māori women exchange a , 1913.

hand gesture associated with Hawaii and surf culture

traditional Christian greeting

informal greeting where two people touch elbows

social kissing gesture

salute when a vehicle travels under plumes of water expelled by one or more fire fighting vehicles

salute of the World Scouting Movement

gesture of respect

thumb|"ƿil cuman," () an Old English welcome phrase, which was used over a thousand years ago and evolved into the modern English "welcome". thumb|right|A welcome mat. thumb|right|State welcome sign at the Virginia border. A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person.

Sembah (, , ) is an Indonesian greeting and gesture of respect and reverence performed by clasping the palms together solemnly in a prayer-like fashion, placing them in front of the chest and, while bowing slightly, moving the pressed palms up to either the chin, or until the thumbs touch the tip of their nose, depending on the status of the person greeted.

salute given using only the middle and index fingers

left-handed handshake (done with hand nearest to heart)

thumb|upright|left|King Mithridates I Callinicus or [[Antiochus I of Commagene shaking hands with Hercules]] thumb|upright|Dexiosis on Attic Lekythos 5th century BCE