According to one version, the name "Slavs" comes from the word "praise". This seems certain, because every Russian greeting is a doxology, even if it is silent.
Pre-Christian greetings
In fairy tales and epics, heroes very often greet the field, river, forest, clouds. People, especially young people, are told: "Goy, good fellow!" The word goy is very old, this ancient root is found in many languages. In Russian, its meanings are associated with life and life-giving force, and in Dahl's dictionary, goit means "to fast, live, be healthy." But there is another interpretation of the greeting "Goy thou!": some researchers argue that this phrase indicates belonging to the same community, clan, tribe and can be translated as: "You are ours, our blood."
So, the word "goy" means "to live", and "thou" means "to eat". Literally, this phrase can be translated into modern Russian as follows: “You are now and be still alive!”.
Interestingly, this ancient root is preserved in the word outcast. And if “goy” is “to live, life”, then “outcast” - its antonym - is a person cut off from life, deprived of it.
Another greeting common in Rus' is "Peace to your home!" It is unusually complete, respectful, because in this way a person welcomes the house and all its inhabitants, close and distant relatives. Perhaps, in pre-Christian Rus', under such a greeting, they also meant an appeal to the brownie and the god of this kind.
Christian greetings
Christianity gave Rus' a variety of greetings, and from that time on, by the very first words spoken, it became possible to determine the religion of a stranger. Russian Christians liked to greet each other like this: "Christ is in our midst!" - and answer: "There is and will be!". Byzantium is dear to Rus', and the ancient Greek language is felt almost native. The ancient Greeks greeted each other with the exclamation "Khairete!", which meant "Rejoice!" - and the Russians, following them, accepted this greeting. "Rejoice!" - as if a person begins a song to the Most Holy Theotokos (after all, such a refrain is found in hymns to the Mother of God). Another greeting that appeared at this time was more often used when a person passed by working people. "God help!" he said then. "To the glory of God!" or "Thank God!" - answered him. These words, not as a greeting, but more often as just a wish, are still used by Russians.
Surely not all variants of ancient greetings have come down to us. In spiritual literature, the greeting was almost always "omitted" and the characters went straight to the point of the conversation. Only in one literary monument - the apocrypha "The Tale of Our Father Agapius" of the 13th century, is there a greeting of that time, surprising in its poetry: "Walk well and you will be good way."
The triple kiss, preserved in Russia to this day, is a very old tradition. The number three is sacred, it is both completeness in the Trinity, and reliability and protection. So often guests were kissed - after all, a guest for a Russian person is like an angel entering a house. Another type of kiss is a kiss on the hand, which meant respect and admiration. Of course, this is exactly how those close to the sovereign greeted (sometimes kissing not even a hand, but a leg). This kiss is also part of the priest's blessing, which is also a greeting. In the church, they kissed the one who had just communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ - in this case, the kiss was both a congratulation and a greeting of a renewed, cleansed person.
The sacred, and not just the "formal" meaning of kisses in Rus' is also evidenced by the fact that not everyone was allowed to kiss the sovereign's hand (it was forbidden for the ambassadors of non-Christian countries). A person of lower status could kiss a higher one on the shoulder, and that one on his head.
After the revolution and in Soviet times, the tradition of greetings-kisses weakened, but now it is being revived again.
Bows are a greeting that, unfortunately, has not survived to this day (but has remained in some other countries: for example, in Japan, people of any level and social status still bow deeply to each other when meeting, parting and in gratitude). In Rus', it was customary to bow at a meeting. But the offerings were different.
The Slavs greeted a person respected in the community with a low bow to the ground, sometimes even touching or kissing it. Such a bow was called "great custom". Acquaintances and friends were greeted with a "small custom" - a bow from the waist, and strangers with almost no custom: putting a hand to the heart and then lowering it down. Interestingly, the gesture "from the heart to the earth" is primordially Slavic, but "from the heart to the sun" is not. Putting a hand to the heart accompanied any bow - this is how our ancestors expressed the cordiality and purity of their intentions.
Any bow metaphorically (and physically too) means humility in front of the interlocutor. There is also a moment of defenselessness in it, because a person bows his head and does not see the one who is in front of him, exposing him to the most defenseless place of his body - his neck.
Hugs were common in Rus', but this type of greeting also had variations. One of the most interesting examples is the male hug "heart to heart", showing, at first glance, the complete trust of men in each other, but in reality testifying to the opposite, because this is how the men checked if a potential dangerous opponent had weapons. A separate type of hug is fraternization, a sudden cessation of hostilities. Relatives and friends hugged, and also people in the church before confession. This is an ancient Christian tradition that helps a person to tune in to confession, forgive others and ask for forgiveness himself (after all, in the temples then there were people who knew each other well, and among them were offenders and offended).
Handshakes and caps
Touching hands is an ancient gesture that communicates a lot to interlocutors without a single word. Much can be determined by how strong and how long a handshake is. The duration of the handshake is proportional to the warmth of the relationship, close friends or people who have not seen each other for a long time and rejoice at the meeting could make a warm handshake not with one hand, but with both. The elder was usually the first to extend his hand to the younger - it was, as it were, an invitation to him into his circle. The hand must be "naked" - this rule has been preserved to this day. An open hand indicates trust. Another option for shaking hands is touching not with the palms, but with the hands. Apparently, it was common among the warriors: this is how they checked that the one they met on their way did not have weapons with them, and demonstrated their unarmedness. The sacred meaning of such a greeting is that when the wrists touch, the pulse is transmitted, and hence the biorhythm of another person. Two people form a chain, which is also important in the Russian tradition.
Later, when the rules of etiquette appeared, only friends were supposed to shake hands. And in order to greet distant acquaintances, they raised their hats. This is where the Russian expression "hat acquaintance" came from, meaning a superficial acquaintance.
"Hello" and "Hi"
The origin of these greetings is very interesting, since the word "hello", for example, is not simply reduced to the word "health", that is, health. Now we perceive it in this way: as a wish to another person for health and long life. However, the root "healthy" and "healthy" is also found in ancient Indian, and in Greek, and in the Avestan languages. Initially, the word "hello" consisted of two parts: "Sъ-" and "*dorvo-", where the first meant "good", and the second was related to the concept of "tree". Why is the tree here? For the ancient Slavs, the tree was a symbol of strength and well-being, and such a greeting meant that a person wishes this strength, endurance and well-being to another. In addition, the greeter himself comes from a strong, strong family. This also proves that not everyone could say "hello". Free people, equal to each other, were allowed to do this, but serfs were not. The form of greeting for them was different - "I beat with my forehead."
The very first mention of the word "hello" was found by researchers in an annals dated 1057. The author of the chronicles wrote: "Hello, many years."
The word "hello" is easier to decipher. It also consists of two parts: "at" + "wet". The first is found in the words "caress", "bend" and means closeness, approaching something or someone. The second is in the words "advice", "answer", "message" ... Saying "hello", we show closeness (and indeed, we only address close people in this way) and, as it were, convey good news to another.
Illustrations: Ekaterina Shestopalova
Class hour
Topic: "How people greeted each other in Rus'"
Target: create conditions for learning children to get acquainted with the forms of greeting in Rus'.
Tasks:
1. Expand the horizons of children's knowledge.
2. To give students the opportunity to use greeting words in their speech in a playful way.
3. Create a favorable atmosphere in the classroom.
Material used:cards, "Cloud", "Sun".
Class hour script
- Organizing time:
Teacher:
Good afternoon dear guys. I'm glad to see you all. Let's give a piece of our mood to each other! Look guys at each other and smile! - Knowledge update
Teacher: Today we will go on a journey with you, where we will learn a lot of interesting things. You are ready?
And in order to find out what we have to learn, it is necessary to solve riddles.
Puzzles
Don't be lazy to tell your friends Smiling… (Good afternoon) | The boy is polite and affectionate He says when he meets... (Hello) |
If a friend meets a friend (Hello) | Our world is tired of evil, (Good afternoon) |
If you met someone According to the rules of etiquette So that the conversation goes uphill, We ask: “How…” (Affairs) | Wrote a letter to my mother I answered yesterday And at the end passed To all friends... (Hello) |
If with a friend or girlfriend There was a long separation When we meet, we say: "How old and..." (how many winters) | Don't be rude to older people (Hello) |
- Statement of the theme of the class hour
Who guessed what the class will be about?
Today we will find out how people used to greet each other in Rus', which words have gone out of circulation, and which ones we still use.So, what kind of miracles await us in this country?!
The most common action we do every day is to greet each other. We greet not only people close to us and friends, but even strangers. The greeting is so common that every year November 21st is World Hello Day.
In different languages, greetings have their own meaning. Special and often incomprehensible to speakers of another dialect. For example, when meeting Altaians, they address each other with the words"Is everything alright?" - "Tyakshi lar ba?" , Armenians - "Barev dzez", which means "Good to you" , Azerbaijanis -“Salam alaikum”, that is, “How are you?” . There is also Georgian"Gamarjoba" - "Be right!" or the Indian "Namaste!" - "I salute God in your face!". And certainly the translation of the greeting of the North American Indians will sound unusual for many."You are my other self".
Each country and culture has certain rules of greeting. In some countries, the greeting is so unusual that it brings a smile to the representatives of other cultures.
There are many more unique greeting traditions. How many peoples, so many cultures of greetings. Each "hello" is individual and carries a special, deep meaning. Some greeting traditions surprise, others make you smile. But, no doubt, in whatever country you greet, greeting, people want only health, warmth, kindness, light and love. No matter how this greeting is expressed.
- Work on the theme of the classroom
- Historical reference
According to one version, the name "Slavs" comes from the word "praise". This seems certain, because every Russian greeting is a doxology, even if it is silent.
- Pre-Christian greetings
In fairy tales and epics, heroes very often greet the field, river, forest, clouds. People, especially young people, are told: "Goy, good fellow!" Literally, this phrase can be translated into modern Russian as follows: “You are now and be still alive!”. Another greeting common in Rus' is "Peace to your home!" It is unusually complete, respectful, because in this way a person welcomes the house and all its inhabitants, close and distant relatives. Perhaps, in pre-Christian Rus', under such a greeting, they also meant an appeal to the brownie and the god of this kind.
2. Christian greetings
Christianity gave Rus' a variety of greetings, and from that time on, by the very first words spoken, it became possible to determine the religion of a stranger. Russian Christians liked to greet each other like this: "Christ is in our midst!" - and answer: "There is and will be!"
3. Kisses
The triple kiss, preserved in Russia to this day, is a very old tradition. The number three is sacred, it is both completeness in the Trinity, and reliability and protection. So often guests were kissed - after all, a guest for a Russian person is like an angel entering a house. Another type of kiss is a kiss on the hand, which meant respect and admiration. Of course, this is exactly how those close to the sovereign greeted (sometimes kissing not even a hand, but a leg). This kiss is also part of the priest's blessing, which is also a greeting.
4. Bows
Bows are a greeting, which, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. In Rus', it was customary to bow at a meeting. But the offerings were different. The Slavs greeted a person respected in the community with a low bow to the ground, sometimes even touching or kissing it. Such a bow was called "great custom". Acquaintances and friends were greeted with a "small custom" - a bow from the waist, and strangers with almost no custom: putting a hand to the heart and then lowering it down.
5. Hugs
Hugs were common in Rus', but this type of greeting also had variations. One of the most interesting examples is the male hug "heart to heart", showing, at first glance, the complete trust of men in each other, but in reality testifying to the opposite, because this is how the men checked if a potential dangerous opponent had weapons. A separate type of hug is fraternization, a sudden cessation of hostilities. Relatives and friends hugged, and also people in the church before confession. This is an ancient Christian tradition that helps a person to tune in to confession, forgive others and ask for forgiveness himself (after all, in the temples then there were people who knew each other well, and among them were offenders and offended).
6. Handshakes and hats
Touching hands is an ancient gesture that communicates a lot to interlocutors without a single word. Those who had not seen each other for a long time and rejoiced at the meeting could make a warm handshake not with one hand, but with both. The elder was usually the first to extend his hand to the younger - it was, as it were, an invitation to him into his circle. The hand must be "naked" - this rule has been preserved to this day. An open hand indicates trust. And in order to greet distant acquaintances, they raised their hats. This is where the Russian expression "hat acquaintance" came from, meaning a superficial acquaintance.
7. "Hello" and "Hi"
And what does the Russian "Hello" mean? What kind of question, you say? "Hello" means to be healthy. And you will be right. But only in part.
It turns out that the familiar Russian form of greeting developed only at the end of the 17th century. And basically it had something like the expression"I command you to be well". Look closely at the word"Hello" . From the point of view of grammar, this is nothing more than a form of the imperative mood of the verb"hello". True, today, when we wish someone good health, we say so:"be or be healthy". And, not only the person who sneezed next to him.
The very first mention of the word"Hello" researchers found in the annals dated one thousand fifty-seven. The chronicler wrote:"Hello Many Years".
But what about before? And earlier, our Slavic ancestors used the expression"goy thou" and addressing the person being greeted. For example, “Goy, good fellow!” Here the word "goy" is "to live", and "thou" is "to eat". And literally this phrase meant:"You are now and be still alive". That is, it can also be translated as"Be healthy" .
Russians using the word"Hello" , had in mind much more than just a wish to be healthy physically."Hello" for them it meant: be strong, strong, healthy morally and spiritually, enduring and resistant to any trials of fate, mature, reliable, free. And it also implied the origin of a good, healthy and powerful family.
The established order of Russian greeting has been preserved for centuries. But gradually the original meaning of the word "hello" was leveled. And at the end of the seventeenth century, formulas of European politeness were added to it:"good morning", "good afternoon" and "good evening" . However, the ancient"Hello" has not disappeared from our speech usage.
By the way, in many foreign languages there are no words with the same meaning as the Russian “hello”!
To wish a person well and health, to glorify his Family and God is the first thing our ancestors did when they met. Today, not everyone remembers this custom, switching to the already familiar: “Hello!”
Hello. Coincidence or not? | Hello. No extra words needed |
Hello. Here, the word, without end, | Hello. Through many, many years |
- Game of explanations.(Work in pairs.)
Teacher: You first read out this word, then try to explain in your own words what you think it means, then I will read you the correct answer.
Words used, with correct meanings in brackets:
- Hello (a form of greeting that developed at the end of the 17th century - I command you to be well, or a wish of health).
- Hello (expression of friendliness, location, good wishes addressed to someone)
- Good afternoon / morning / evening (greeting at a meeting and wishes of a kind-hearted, i.e. cordial, sincere day / morning / evening)
- Greetings (to you) (to give a sign of kindness to someone)
- My respect (deep respect for someone)
- The lowest bow (a low bow as a sign of respect)
- Good health (wish good health)
- Rejoice (welcome sign)
- God help! (used when a person passed by working people)
- Good health to you and long life! (wishing you good health and a long life)
- Be good to you today! (A morning greeting in the 17th century is a wish for good today).
- "Fresh for you!" (Hello to a girl drawing water from a river or a well.)
- "Bread and salt!" (said to those who ate).
So, what does the word "greeting" mean?
A greeting is an address to someone with greetings; speech with an expression of good wishes, his disposition.
- This is interesting
In all countries of the world, when people meet, they wish each other well. But outwardly it looks different.
In Tunisia, greeting people on the street, it is customary to first bow, bring the right hand to the forehead, then to the lips, then to the heart. "I think about you, I talk about you, I respect you"
Inhabitants of New Guineafrom the koi-ri tribe, greeting, tickle each other under the chin.
Residents of the Republic of Zambiain Central Africa, greetings are clapped and revered.
Tajik , receiving a guest in his house, will shake the hand extended to him with two of his own as a sign of respect. Stretching one in response is a sign of disrespect.
Japanese when meeting, they bow: the lower and slower, the more important the person. The lowest and most respectful is sakeirei, the middle one is at an angle of 30 degrees, the lightest one is only 15 degrees. At the same time they say "The day has come."
A Kenyan Akambathey simply spit at each other without bothering to extend their hands - nevertheless, this is a sign of deep respect.
In the Zambezi clap their hands, squatting.
Tibetans with the right hand they take off the hat from the head, and with the left they put it in the ear and stick out the tongue. In such a bizarre way, the absence of bad intentions is demonstrated.
Polynesians On the contrary, they stroke each other on the back when they meet, sniff and rub their noses. The "nasal" greeting is also in use among the inhabitants of Lapland - they seem to warm their frozen noses.
German at a meeting, he will ask a little differently: “How is it going?”, But Italian - "How are you standing?"
Australian Aborigines greet each other with a dance.
In France in an informal setting, even unfamiliar people depict a symbolic kiss when they meet: they alternately touch their cheeks. A French greeting sounds: “How is it going?”
One of the most interesting ways to greet Kenya . The strongest men, when greeting, dance the national dance of Adamu. In it, they show all their strength and compete to see who can jump higher. They also greet with a handshake, but before that, men always spit on their hands. And the first time they spit on the ground, and the second time - on the hand. If you spit only once and immediately on your hand, then express disrespect in this way. Women during the greeting sing a song and press their palm to the palm of the interlocutor. In the Akamba tribe, as a sign of respect for a person, they even spit in the face when they meet.
In France , in addition to the usual handshakes, when meeting and parting in an informal setting, it is customary to touch the cheeks three times, depicting kisses.
Hot by nature representatives Latin Americawhen meeting, they exclaim “buenos dias” and hug each other, at the same time patting on the shoulders. Moreover, it is customary to hug both familiar people and those whom they met for the first time.
In Mongolia the owner of the house, when meeting a guest, should give a ribbon (hadu) made of silk or chintz as a sign of hospitality and greeting. The color of the tape should be light (pale yellow or light blue). Passing the ribbon is a sign of respect, as well as an ancestral tradition that is still followed in Mongolian culture.
In some Indian tribesstill, when meeting a stranger, it is customary to squat down and sit like that until he sees. Such a sign demonstrates peacefulness. You may also be offered to smoke a "peace pipe".
Other nations do not ask anything when meeting: Greenlanders say "Good weather!", Navajo Indians exclaim "All is well!" At the meeting, the Persians wish: "Be cheerful", the Arabs - "Peace be with you!", the Jews - "Peace be with you!", and the Georgians - "Be right!" or "Win!". True, when entering a church or coming to visit, Georgians also wish for peace.
- Game "Greeting without words."
To do this, let's play a game.
The game is called "Let's say hello".
Rules of the game:
Children randomly move around the classroom (you can go out into the corridor) and, at the signal of the teacher (clap hands), greet everyone who meets on their way (it is possible that one of the children will specifically seek to say hello to those who usually do not pay attention attention to him). You need to say hello in a certain way:
- one clap - we shake hands;
- two claps - we greet with shoulders;
- three claps - greet backs.
- Final part:
And so our journey has come to an end. What interesting things have we learned?
Guys, you have suns and clouds on your desks, if you liked the lesson, then raise the “sun”, if you didn’t like it, raise the “clouds”.
Hello - I wish you good health!
In this word - wisdom, kindness,
That always coexist with love,
And the souls of Slavic beauty!
Why do we use "hello"?
I guess no matter how much you look
Anyway, you won't find the answer.
On "Hi" - "Bye" and "Sorry."
It's not about "Hi" at all, no!
Just a joy to meet a person,
"How many winters!" - exclaim - "how many years!"
And a smile on "Hi!" answer.
If I meet you again,
Know that "Hello" mine is nonsense.
I want to wish you good health -
Hello! Now and Forever!
(author Kovaleva Elena)
Pre-Christian greetings
In fairy tales and epics, heroes very often greet the field, river, forest, clouds. People, especially young people, are told: “Goy, good fellow!” The word goy is very old, this ancient root is found in many languages. In Russian, its meanings are associated with life and life-giving force, and in Dahl's dictionary, goit means "to fast, live, be healthy." But there is another interpretation of the greeting “Goy thou!”: some researchers argue that this phrase indicates belonging to the same community, clan, tribe and can be translated as: “You are ours, our blood.”
So, the word "goy" means "to live", and "thou" means "to eat". Literally, this phrase can be translated into modern Russian as follows: “You are now and be still alive!”.
Interestingly, this ancient root is preserved in the word outcast. And if “goy” is “to live, life”, then “outcast” - its antonym - is a person cut off from life, deprived of it.
Another greeting common in Rus' is "Peace to your home!" It is unusually complete, respectful, because in this way a person welcomes the house and all its inhabitants, close and distant relatives. Perhaps, in pre-Christian Rus', under such a greeting, they also meant an appeal to the brownie and the god of this kind.
Christian greetings
Christianity gave Rus' a variety of greetings, and from that time on, by the very first words spoken, it became possible to determine the religion of a stranger. Among themselves, Russian Christians liked to greet each other like this: “Christ is in our midst!” - and answer: "There is and will be!". Byzantium is dear to Rus', and the ancient Greek language is felt almost native. The ancient Greeks greeted each other with the exclamation "Khairete!", which meant "Rejoice!" - and the Russians, following them, accepted this greeting. "Rejoice!" - as if a person begins a song to the Most Holy Theotokos (after all, such a refrain is found in hymns to the Mother of God). Another greeting that appeared at this time was more often used when a person passed by working people. "God help!" he said then. "To the glory of God!" or "Thank God!" - answered him. These words, not as a greeting, but more often as just a wish, are still used by Russians.
Surely not all variants of ancient greetings have come down to us. In spiritual literature, the greeting was almost always “omitted” and the characters went straight to the point of the conversation. Only in one literary monument - the apocrypha "The Tale of Our Father Agapius" of the 13th century, is there a greeting of that time, surprising in its poetry: "Walk well and you will be good way."
kisses
The triple kiss, preserved in Russia to this day, is a very old tradition. The number three is sacred, it is both completeness in the Trinity, and reliability and protection. So often guests were kissed - after all, a guest for a Russian person is like an angel entering a house. Another type of kiss is a kiss on the hand, which meant respect and admiration. Of course, this is exactly how those close to the sovereign greeted (sometimes kissing not even a hand, but a leg). This kiss is also part of the priest's blessing, which is also a greeting. In the church, they kissed the one who had just communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ - in this case, the kiss was both a congratulation and a greeting of a renewed, cleansed person.
The sacred, and not just the “formal” meaning of kisses in Rus' is also evidenced by the fact that not everyone was allowed to kiss the sovereign’s hand (it was forbidden for ambassadors of non-Christian countries). A person of lower status could kiss a higher one on the shoulder, and that one on his head.
After the revolution and in Soviet times, the tradition of greetings-kisses weakened, but now it is being revived again.
bows
Bows are a greeting that, unfortunately, has not survived to this day (but has remained in some other countries: for example, in Japan, people of any level and social status still bow deeply to each other when meeting, parting and in gratitude). In Rus', it was customary to bow at a meeting. But the offerings were different.
The Slavs greeted a person respected in the community with a low bow to the ground, sometimes even touching or kissing it. Such a bow was called the "great custom." Acquaintances and friends were greeted with a “small custom” - a bow from the waist, and strangers with almost no custom: putting a hand to the heart and then lowering it down. Interestingly, the gesture "from the heart to the earth" is originally Slavic, but "from the heart to the sun" is not. Putting a hand to the heart accompanied any bow - this is how our ancestors expressed the cordiality and purity of their intentions.
Any bow metaphorically (and physically too) means humility in front of the interlocutor. There is also a moment of defenselessness in it, because a person bows his head and does not see the one who is in front of him, exposing him to the most defenseless place of his body - his neck.
Embrace
Hugs were common in Rus', but this type of greeting also had variations. One of the most interesting examples is the “heart-to-heart” male hug, which, at first glance, shows the complete trust of men in each other, but in reality testifies to the opposite, because this is how men checked for weapons from a potential dangerous rival. A separate type of hug is fraternization, a sudden cessation of hostilities. Relatives and friends hugged, and also people in the church before confession. This is an ancient Christian tradition that helps a person to tune in to confession, forgive others and ask for forgiveness himself (after all, in the temples then there were people who knew each other well, and among them were offenders and offended).
Handshakes and caps
Touching hands is an ancient gesture that communicates a lot to interlocutors without a single word. Much can be determined by how strong and how long a handshake is. The duration of the handshake is proportional to the warmth of the relationship, close friends or people who have not seen each other for a long time and rejoice at the meeting could make a warm handshake not with one hand, but with both. The elder was usually the first to extend his hand to the younger - it was, as it were, an invitation to him into his circle. The hand must be "naked" - this rule has been preserved to this day. An open hand indicates trust. Another option for shaking hands is touching not with the palms, but with the hands. Apparently, it was common among the warriors: this is how they checked that the one they met on their way did not have weapons with them, and demonstrated their unarmedness. The sacred meaning of such a greeting is that when the wrists touch, the pulse is transmitted, and hence the biorhythm of another person. Two people form a chain, which is also important in the Russian tradition.
Later, when the rules of etiquette appeared, only friends were supposed to shake hands. And in order to greet distant acquaintances, they raised their hats. This is where the Russian expression "hat acquaintance" came from, meaning a superficial acquaintance.
"Hello" and "Hi"
The origin of these greetings is very interesting, since the word "hello", for example, is not reduced simply to the word "health", that is, health. Now we perceive it in this way: as a wish to another person for health and long life. However, the root "healthy" and "healthy" is also found in ancient Indian, and in Greek, and in the Avestan languages. Initially, the word "hello" consisted of two parts: "Sъ-" and "*dorvo-", where the first meant "good", and the second was related to the concept of "tree". Why is the tree here? For the ancient Slavs, the tree was a symbol of strength and well-being, and such a greeting meant that a person wishes this strength, endurance and well-being to another. In addition, the greeter himself comes from a strong, strong family. This also proves that not everyone could say “hello”. Free people, equal to each other, were allowed to do this, but serfs were not. The form of greeting for them was different - "I strike with my forehead."
The very first mention of the word "hello" was found by researchers in an annals dated 1057. The author of the chronicles wrote: "Hello, many years."
The word "hello" is easier to decipher. It also consists of two parts: “at” + “wet”. The first is found in the words “caress”, “bend” and means closeness, approaching something or someone. The second is in the words “advice”, “answer”, “message” ... Saying “hello”, we show closeness (and indeed, we only address close people in this way) and, as it were, convey good news to another.
Increasingly, we greet each other with a short and often faceless “hello”. How did you say hello? The custom or ritual of greeting among the Slavs goes back centuries and hides a lot of interesting, and even mysterious. For representatives of different social status and different sexes, the form of greeting and its content differed. And, nevertheless, the main greeting among the Slavs has always been the wish of health, peace and prosperity. The Slavs have always been a peaceful people and believed that they were surrounded only by living beings. In the surviving epics, the hero-hero refers to the forest, river or field as a living being. According to the customs of the Slavs, the wish for health should have been answered in the same way, if you are not enemies, of course. Therefore, they believed that a greeting in the form of a wish for health forms a protective circle through which evil cannot penetrate.
Until now, in rural areas, especially in small villages, a stranger is sure to be greeted. The wish of health is not only a sign of good manners, but also a tribute. Before the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs revered many gods, and among the most revered, there was the god Rod. Hence the cult attitude towards the ancestors and the veneration of ancestors. The tradition of greeting the owner of the house and all his relatives with the words "Peace to your house!" remained from this cult. The transformation in the minds of the Slavs of the god Rod into Domovoy, who is the keeper of the hearth, still requires them to respect this creature and, in a kind of coded message, that their appearance does not bring any trouble to the owners of the house.
The existing hypothesis of the origin of the term “Slavs” because these tribes not only praised the gods and treated each other with respect, but also revered their ancestors, can be confirmed by such a ritual as a bow from the waist. They met acquaintances and friends. A respected person in the community was supposed to bow low to the ground. In epics and fairy tales, we read that the hero, going to a foreign land, bows to all four cardinal points. The stranger was greeted by placing a hand over the heart, and then lowering it down. This gesture meant cordial disposition, joy from the meeting. Ordinary meeting could be accompanied by the usual nod. The ritual of shaking hands in ancient times expressed not so much the meaning of the greeting as it represented a check for the presence of a weapon in the sleeve of a stranger's clothes. Therefore, at the meeting, they did not squeeze their hands, but their wrists, to make sure of good intentions. In Rodnovery, this ritual of shaking the wrists has survived to this day not so much as a gesture of the characteristic greeting of the Slavs, carried through the centuries, but has an esoteric meaning. It is believed that when the wrists touch, not only the pulse is transmitted, but also the biorhythm of another person. The code of another person is read and its belonging, or lack thereof, to modern admirers of the traditions and beliefs of the ancient Slavs is determined.
SLAVIC GREETINGS AND THEIR SECRETS: 1. In fairy tales and epics, heroes very often greet the field, river, forest, clouds. People, especially young people, are told: "Goy, good fellow!" The word goy is very old, this ancient root is found in many languages. In Russian, its meanings are associated with life and life-giving force, and in Dahl's dictionary, goit means "to fast, live, be healthy." But there is another interpretation of the greeting "Goy thou!": some researchers argue that this phrase indicates belonging to the same community, clan, tribe and can be translated as: "You are ours, our blood." So, the word "goy" means "to live", and "thou" means "to eat". Literally, this phrase can be translated into modern Russian as follows: “You are now and be still alive!”. Interestingly, this ancient root is preserved in the word outcast. And if “goy” is “to live, life”, then “outcast” - its antonym - is a person cut off from life, deprived of it. Another greeting common in Rus' is "Peace to your home!" It is unusually complete, respectful, because in this way a person welcomes the house and all its inhabitants, close and distant relatives. Perhaps, in pre-Christian Rus', under such a greeting, they also meant an appeal to the brownie and the god of this kind. 2. Bows - a greeting that, unfortunately, has not survived to this day (but remains in some other countries: for example, in Japan, people of any level and social status still bow deeply to each other when meeting, parting and in gratitude) . In Rus', it was customary to bow at a meeting. But the offerings were different. The Slavs greeted a person respected in the community with a low bow to the ground, sometimes even touching or kissing it. Such a bow was called "great custom". Acquaintances and friends were greeted with a "small custom" - a bow from the waist, and strangers with almost no custom: putting a hand to the heart and then lowering it down. Interestingly, the gesture "from the heart to the earth" is primordially Slavic, but "from the heart to the sun" is not. Putting a hand to the heart accompanied any bow - this is how our ancestors expressed the cordiality and purity of their intentions. Any bow metaphorically (and physically too) means humility in front of the interlocutor. There is also a moment of defenselessness in it, because a person bows his head and does not see the one who is in front of him, exposing him to the most defenseless place of his body - his neck. 3. Touching hands is an ancient gesture that communicates a lot to interlocutors without a single word. Much can be determined by how strong and how long a handshake is. The duration of the handshake is proportional to the warmth of the relationship, close friends or people who have not seen each other for a long time and rejoice at the meeting could make a warm handshake not with one hand, but with both. The elder was usually the first to extend his hand to the younger - it was, as it were, an invitation to him into his circle. The hand must be "naked" - this rule has been preserved to this day. An open hand indicates trust. Another option for shaking hands is touching not with the palms, but with the hands. Apparently, it was common among the warriors: this is how they checked that the one they met on their way did not have weapons with them, and demonstrated their unarmedness. The sacred meaning of such a greeting is that when the wrists touch, the pulse is transmitted, and hence the biorhythm of another person. Two people form a chain, which is also important in the Russian tradition. Later, when the rules of etiquette appeared, only friends were supposed to shake hands. And in order to greet distant acquaintances, they raised their hats. This is where the Russian expression "hat acquaintance" came from, meaning a superficial acquaintance. 4. The origin of these greetings is very interesting, since the word "hello", for example, is not simply reduced to the word "health", that is, health. Now we perceive it in this way: as a wish to another person for health and long life. However, the root "healthy" and "healthy" is also found in ancient Indian, and in Greek, and in the Avestan languages. Initially, the word "hello" consisted of two parts: "Sъ-" and "*dorvo-", where the first meant "good", and the second was related to the concept of "tree". Why is the tree here? For the ancient Slavs, the tree was a symbol of strength and well-being, and such a greeting meant that a person wishes this strength, endurance and well-being to another. In addition, the greeter himself comes from a strong, strong family. This also proves that not everyone could say "hello". Free people, equal to each other, were allowed to do this, but serfs were not. The form of greeting for them was different - "I beat with my forehead." The very first mention of the word "hello" was found by researchers in an annals dated 1057. The author of the chronicles wrote: "Hello, many years." The word "hello" is easier to decipher. It also consists of two parts: "at" + "wet". The first is found in the words "caress", "bend" and means closeness, approaching something or someone. The second is in the words "advice", "answer", "message" ... Saying "hello", we show closeness (and indeed, we only address close people in this way) and, as it were, convey good news to another.
