Regardless of occupation, religion, and upbringing, we use many hand gestures daily. However, we do not even think about when, where and why these movements appeared. We will introduce you to the history of the emergence of 8 well-known gestures that you perform daily with your hands.
V sign
V-sign, or Victory, is one of the most frequently displayed gestures. To depict the "victory sign", you need to raise and spread the index and middle fingers, clenching the rest into a fist. And although this gesture is used to indicate victory or peace (pis), the original meaning has repeatedly changed depending on culture and time. So, in some states, primarily in the countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations, this gesture was considered offensive. This has spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as Australia, Ireland, India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Legend has it that when the archers (longbowmen) were captured by the French, they cut off their index and middle fingers so that they could no longer control the bow and arrow. Thus, the V-image was used by archers as an act of disobedience.
Later, "V" turned into a modern victory sign on January 14, 1941. On this day, former Minister of Justice of Belgium Victor de Lavelieu used the BBC radio to urge the Belgians to put a badge on the emblem during the rally. People liked it so much that the BBC launched the “V for Victory” campaign. The symbolism of the letter "V" spread throughout occupied Europe, and even Prime Minister Winston Churchill began to recognize the meaning of this gesture.
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Handshake
We shake hands at a meeting, goodbye, and sometimes as a sign of simple solidarity. But why and where did this gesture come about? What made people clutch their hands and shake them when they met each other?
The history of the origin of the handshake dates back to antiquity. Archaeologists have discovered texts and paintings dating back to the 5th century BC. e., which depicted a handshake gesture. There are also many paintings in which soldiers shake hands. This led experts to believe that perhaps it was a strategy to check whether the opponent was carrying a weapon. Since the weapon most often rested on the right hand, it became a polite custom to shake only with the right hand. This was used as a gesture of peace to demonstrate the absence of weapons. Moreover, trembling hand movements could open the "secret" sleeves in which weapons were hidden.
Beat off the fist
Punches are very similar to the previous gesture, and we can safely say that this is an evolutionary version of a handshake. If you are careful and observant, you must have noticed that the “cam” is popular in sports, especially in those types where gloves are worn by athletes. For example, in boxing.
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The gesture makes a lot of sense if you know its origin story. It is the boxers of the late 1800s and early 1900s who are credited with the first "fist punches". They resorted to a gesture to greet each other.
But, like all theories, the history of origin has other versions. A scientist at the Smithsonian Institution, Lamont Hamilton, believes that this gesture could have developed during the Vietnam War as a modified version of the black salute, which was banned by the military.
In September 1990, Australia witnessed its first punch when two cricketers cheered each other up with this gesture. Later, this hand movement made its way into other sports in Australia and ultimately became popular around the world.
Horn sign, or "horns" at rock concerts
If you have ever been to a rock concert or just a fan of rock music, then you know the "horn" gesture, which can be depicted by raising the index finger and little finger, while the other fingers are folded into a fist. Initially, it was used as a superstitious gesture to drive away the evil eye.
Only in 1979, when Ronnie James Dio became the vocalist of Black Sabbath, The horn sign made his way to rock metal music. Before Ronnie, the band's vocalist was Ozzy Osbourne, and his signature hand gesture, a double peace sign, became a ritual among fans. Therefore, when Ronnie went on stage, he decided to introduce a new sign. He borrowed this movement from his Italian grandmother, who, in turn, used it as a means to prevent evil. He felt that the pagan association of the sign would be fully consistent with the ideology of the group.
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"High five"
Who would have thought that such a widespread gesture as "give five" with their arms raised high should generally be invented. But, like everything else, the gesture has a beginning. And this happened quite recently - on October 2, 1977.
On this day, Dusty Baker from the Dodgers baseball team scored regular points for his team at the home stadium. Glenn Burke, another member of the team, was already waiting for him to greet, and raised his hand high. Baker, not knowing how to react to this unusual greeting, hit Burke with his raised hand.
Since that day, Burke and Baker have played more than a dozen games together. At that time, many did not know that Burke was gay. He announced his orientation only after finishing his career in 1980. Then the author, who wrote an article about the athlete and was also gay, used the high five gesture as a symbol of gay pride.
But this is not the only story of the origin of high-five. During a basketball game at the University of Louisville, one player gave a “low five” to his teammate Derek Smith. Smith did not accept this and said: "No. Come on high." He thought that since they jump so high on the court, then why resort to such "low" gestures?
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Salute, or "salute"
As the name implies, "salute" originates in the army. According to numerous military manuals, the gesture originated in France. Then the knights wore a visor (headgear made of steel), which was part of the armor, and they raised their visors to greet each other.
There is another explanation regarding the origin. According to the US Army Quartermaster School, there was a custom in the army when soldiers took off their hats, saluting their superiors. But when the headgear became too bulky in the 18th and 19th centuries, the soldiers simply resorted to a simple gesture of touching or holding their visor as a polite greeting. Over time, this gesture has become a modern “salute, ” which we know today.
Thumb up
The sign of approval, or thumb up, today we know as like on Facebook. Looking at an earlier history of origin, we find that the gesture was a metaphor in English literature. For example, saying “he gave me a thumb at a speech” means that the person approved your speech and liked it.
There are many examples that depict the origin of the thumb up. One of them dates back to Ancient Rome, and more precisely - to gladiatorial battles. After one of the fighters was defeated, the victorious gladiator looked at the audience and demanded that a decision be made: to kill him or to keep him alive. The crowd responded with gestures known as Pollice verso. The thumb raised up signified the clemency of the vanquished, and the downcast signified death.
