A quick history of etiquette

October 9, 2015

Why do we shake hands, kiss, or kneel? These fun facts will give you a quick history on manners and etiquette.

A quick history of etiquette

Being friendly

A hand signal can be seen before a face comes into focus, so we greet with a wave, then smile to demonstrate our welcome.
To show that they came in unarmed friendship, the Romans greeted each other with outstretched arm and open palm.

Being businesslike

In the 20th century this salute took on a more sinister meaning when adopted by Nazis under the dictator Adolf Hitler.

In ancient civilizations, such as the Kingdom of Israel and the Roman Empire, the handshake signified the binding of a contract. In medieval times it marked a pledge of honour or allegiance; a subordinate would kneel while his superior initiated the handclasp.

Shaking hands as a polite form of greeting across social classes, although considered too egalitarian to be acceptable in earlier ages, became acceptable in early 19th-century Europe.

Kiss me

If, as anthropologists argue, the loving kiss is related to suckling in babyhood, it is as old as the human race. The less intimate kiss on the cheek was used as a form of greeting or salutation among the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Greeting kisses are even recorded in th bible. Medieval lords would ceremonially kiss newly invested knights on the cheek. The knights, however, showed respectful submission or allegiance to their lord by kissing his hand.

Etiquette rules

The Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus believed that most people not only aspired to gentility but also wanted to know the rules of behaviour.

His short treatise 'On the Civility of the Behaviour of Boys' of 1530, covered manners at school, in church, at mealtimes and even in bed. It also included discreet guidelines on how to "name some functions of the body that our sensibility no longer permits us to discuss in public."

European trend-setters

In France, from the mid-17th to the early 18th century, Louis XIV insisted that courtiers observe an elaborate timetable of civilities.

Dandies such as Beau Nash and Beau Brummell set the rules of British etiquette during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Their whims swiftly became the fashion.

The Prince Regent, later George IV, is said to have wept when his friend Brummell disapproved of the way his coat fitted.

North American manners

In the United States, George Washington advised on good behaviour in his pamphlet, Rules of Conduct.

In the 19th century, How to Choose and Win Friends was covered by "Miss Manners," the journalist Judith Martin.

America's most celebrated expert on etiquette was Emily Post, whose 1922 book, Etiquette: the Blue Book of Social Usage became an instant best seller.

Easy etiquette

There’s a long story behind every handshake, wave and kiss on the cheek. This quick history of etiquette will tell you all you need to know.

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