Greetings in Different Cultures (Revised)

In any culture, the first thing we do when we meet a person is we perform some sort of greeting. Every culture has a different greeting. In America, we greet people with a "Hello, my name is..." and a handshake. However, there are other greetings which you should know about before traveling abroad; otherwise you may find yourself in a confusing or embarrassing situation. I did some research on different greetings of the world, and I want to share a couple that stand out to me that I've never seen before.

Greeting in Tibet
As a child, I was taught that sticking out your tongue is a sign of disrespect, and that I should not do it because it is impolite. Most people in Western countries think this way. However, in Tibet, sticking out your tongue has the opposite meaning.
In Tibet, sticking out your tongue is a form of greeting. It takes its roots from the 9th century. The Tibetan king, Langdarma, known for being "anti-Buddhist and a follower of Bon", had a black tongue because of some sort of disease. Legend has it that his tongue turned black to mark him as the villainous man that he was. As Buddhists, Tibetans believe in reincarnation, and they feared that this mean king would be reincarnated. Consequently, for centuries, Tibetans have greeted each other by sticking out their tongues; demonstrating that they do not have black tongues and that they are not the evil king reincarnated.

It turned out that the Tibetans do not extend their tongues as far out or for so long time as it is shown in the film Seven Years In Tibet. They would never extend their tongues as a group, either. "The interview excerpts dealing with the depiction of Tibetans sticking out their tongues in Seven Years In Tibet are exemplary of individual reactions of Tibetans to constructed images of themselves. Offense is taken by those recognizing the falsity of the constructions"(The American Occupation of Tibetan Buddhism, by Eve Mullen, page. 115). Ergo, it appears that Hollywood exaggerated a little bit. And this is one of the written proofs that I found, which portrays the fallacy of cultural custom. By looking at these made up or exaggerated stereotypes, one can get the wrong impression of unfamiliar cultures.
Nowadays, when Tibetans meet, they only briefly extend their tongues in greeting. The action is also used to show agreement, and over the past few years, the gesture has evolved into a sign of respect, friendliness, and positive intention. So, if you go to Tibet or you know that you are going to meet a person from Tibet, and they stick their tongues out at you, don't think that they are being impolite. Now that you know the true meaning of it, you can show them respect in their own way. That is, unless you are uncomfortable, or your tongue is black for some reason ;)
In Tibet, to stick out one's tongue is not the only greeting. It is just the strangest greeting from there for people in Western countries. Here is more information about Tibetan society and customs.

Greetings In Saudi Arabia & Middle East

In Saudi Arabia, as in other Middle Eastern countries, people always use different greetings depending on the person they are talking to. They will often greet each other with only a right-handed handshake (the left hand is considered unclean) and the words "As-salamu alaykum". Men may follow this with different amounts of cheek-kisses depending on how well they know each other or their relationship. They may also follow the initial greeting by rubbing their noses together. "Nose kisses" are a tribal custom, mostly practiced by Arabs in the Gulf region. To explain why they are doing it and what it means, I first want to point out that these gestures do not have any homosexual connotations. Many people in the Western world would think this way, but in fact they are just normal greetings.
The nose is an important symbol for Arabs because it is in the center of the face, and it represents the values of respect and pride.

What about women?
When a Western man is introduced to an Arab woman, it is the woman's choice to shake hands or not; she must initiate the handshake. Women shake hands only using their fingertips. You should not touch her palm, or kiss her hand. Women do not kiss a man's cheek in greeting; it is considered immodest. The practice of "nose kisses" between men and women is mostly done in private among family members. It should be noted that handshakes, cheek kissing, and nose rubbing between men and women is usually considered inappropriate in the Arab world, unless it is done between family members, such as brothers or sisters.
In addition, if an Arab does not touch someone he greets, he either does not like them, or is restraining himself because he thinks the person is unaccustomed to being touched.
Beware: failure to shake hands when meeting someone or saying goodbye is considered rude.

References

* "Body Language in Different Cultures." Stuff for Success Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016. <http://www.samdiener.com/2009/10/body-language-in-different-cultures/>.
* Michael, By Leigh. "Top of the Morning From the Tip of My Tongue." Top Of The Morning From The Tip Of My Tongue. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2016. <https://mangosalute.com/magazine/top-of-the-morning-from-the-tip-of-my-tongue>.
* Roba, By. "The Guide to the Ultimate Arab Greeting: Cheek Kissing." AndFarAway. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016. <http://www.andfaraway.net/blog/2009/07/28/the-guide-to-the-ultimate-arab-greeting-cheek-kissing/>.
* @TheNationalUAE. "Ask Ali: Why Rubbing Noses Is More than Just a Custom | The National." N.p., 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2016. <http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/ask-ali-why-rubbing-noses-is-more-than-just-a-custom>.