While handshakes, hugs,
bows, and nods, are all acceptable greetings, the most common greeting is a kiss,
or kisses, on the cheek. Cheek is most
common in Europe and Latin America and has become a standard greeting in
Southern Europe.[2]
While cheek kissing is a
common greeting in many cultures, each country has a unique way of kissing. In
Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, the
Netherlands, and Egypt it is customary to “kiss three times, on alternate
cheeks.” Italians, Hungarians,
and Romanians usually kiss twice in a greeting and in Mexico and Belgium only
one kiss is necessary. French
culture accepts several ways to greet depending on the region. Two kisses are
most common throughout all of France, but in Paris and Provence, you kiss the left
cheek, right cheek, and back for one more kiss on the left for friends and
family.
