How they greet you in the army. Which hand do the military salute?

History of military greeting November 6th, 2013

According to one version, this comes from the Middle Ages: the military greeting is a knightly tradition. When meeting each other, the knights lifted the visor of their helmet with a movement of their hands to show that their friend’s face was hidden behind the armor. Or they raised their visor to show their peaceful intentions.

According to another version, the tradition of modern military greeting originates on the island of Great Britain. In many armies around the world, junior ranks greeted senior ranks by removing their hats, as was the case in the British Army, but by the 18th and 19th centuries, soldiers’ hats had become so bulky that this greeting was reduced to a simple touch of the visor. The greeting we know took shape in 1745 in the Coldstream Regiment, an elite guard unit of the Queen of England’s personal guard.

In the regimental regulations of the guards it was written: “Personnel are ordered not to raise their hats when they pass by an officer or address him, but only to press their hands to their hat and bow.” In 1762, the charter of the Scots Guards clarified: “Since nothing disfigures a headdress and contaminates the lacings like removing a hat, in the future, personnel are only ordered to raise their palm to their hat with a short gesture when passing by an officer.” Such an innovation caused some resistance, but, as we see, it still took root.

At the same time, great importance is attached to the fact that during a military greeting they do not bow their heads or lower their eyes, this means that military personnel of different ranks are free people serving one state. By the middle of the 19th century, the military salute in Great Britain had undergone new changes: the hand brought to the headdress (more precisely, to the right eyebrow) is facing outward with the palm. This tradition continues to this day.

In the USA, the hand is brought slightly forward, as if closing the eyes from the sun, and the palm looks at the ground. The American gesture was influenced by the traditions of the British Navy: back in the days of sailing ships, sailors used pitch and tar to seal cracks in the wooden parts of the ship so that they would not let sea water through. At the same time, the hands were protected with white gloves, but showing a dirty palm was undignified, so in the navy the greeting hand turned 90 degrees down. The military salutes the same way in France.

In Tsarist Russia, the military saluted with two fingers (this tradition still remains in Poland), and in the Soviet and modern Russian army, the salute is given with the entire palm facing down, with the middle finger looking at the temple.

By the way, let us emphasize a detail that is worth paying attention to: if earlier the ritual was called “giving military honor,” today the Russian military regulations seem to return us to the requirements of noble knights: “soul to God, life to the fatherland, heart to the lady, honor to no one!” (as the author of this statement L.G. Kornilov says?). Now this ritual is called the “military salute”

According to the charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, all military personnel when meeting or overtaking are required to greet each other and must strictly observe the rules of giving military salute I established by the drill regulations of the RF Armed Forces.

Military salute it is the embodiment of respect, cohesion, camaraderie, and a manifestation of culture.

There are also those who believe that the custom of giving military honor in the armies of the world is associated with the name of the famous pirate Francis Drake.(about the history of piracy and in particular about DRAKE).

This is, of course, more of a joke version, but still :-)

"I'M BLINDED!"

Having completed in 1577-1580. circumnavigating the world, Drake sent a letter to Queen Elizabeth describing his exploits. Interested in the pirate's personality, and even more interested in the treasures he had looted, the queen visited Drake's ship. When she climbed on board, Drake, pretending to be blinded by her beauty (according to contemporaries, Elizabeth was extremely ugly), shaded his eyes with his palm.

Since then, in the English fleet this gesture has allegedly been used to salute...

LEFT OR RIGHT?

This may be true, but most likely it is just a beautiful legend, although it has many supporters. However, let us see whether the need to give honor does not entail inconvenience.

According to etiquette, a man should walk to the left of a woman, since the place on the right is considered honorable. If a woman takes a soldier by the arm, he must be on her right in order to be able to give a military greeting. About 200-300 years ago, men did not leave the house without weapons. Each one had a saber, rapier or dagger hanging on his left side. On the left - in order to quickly and more conveniently grab the weapon from the sheath with the right hand. To prevent the weapon from hitting his companion’s legs when walking, the gentleman tried to walk to the left of his lady.

In general, it is correct for a man to walk on the left, because people here often move to the right, and it is better for the person you meet to accidentally hit you with his shoulder, and not your companion. Only the military does not obey this rule when they are in uniform. In order to give a military salute and not hit your companion with your elbow, the soldier’s or officer’s right hand must be free. Therefore, it is more convenient for them to walk on the right rather than on the left.

THEY DON'T PUT A HAND TO THE EMPTY HEAD?

In the Russian army, honor is given only when wearing a headdress, but in the American army... In America, honor is given not “to an empty head,” but in any case. It's all about the story. It should be taken into account that in the USA the traditions of the army of the Northerners (as winners) have been preserved mainly, which was created from volunteers, often dressed, at first, in ordinary clothes and did not have combat habits. Hence the salutation without military uniform and headdress, which sometimes simply did not exist. Accordingly, when the uniform appeared, honor was given by placing a hand on the head, regardless of the presence of a headdress.

Times have changed, morals have changed

Officers or soldiers who carried a sword or saber, no matter whether mounted or on foot, saluted by raising the weapon, bringing the handle closer to the lips, then moving the weapon to the right and down. This form of greeting dates back to the Middle Ages and is associated with religion, when a knight would kiss the hilt of his sword, symbolizing the Christian cross. Then it became a tradition when taking an oath.

Raising your hand in greeting instead of taking off your hat had practical implications. As the soldiers lit the fuses of their muskets, their hands became dirty with soot. And removing the headdress with dirty hands meant rendering it unusable. Therefore, by the end of the 18th century, honor began to be given by simply raising one’s hand.

In the imperial period, saluting included not only raising the hand to the headdress, but also a variety of bows, curtsies and other elements, depending on the rank of the person being met and the meeting place.

Let's remember something else, or for example, I recently collected . Here's an interesting one The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

The army has its own laws, which can be either generally known or hidden from the uninitiated. The need to salute arises when greeting military personnel. This is one of the so-called “military rituals”, which is part of the etiquette of military personnel. Currently, the military salute is present in the armies of most countries of the world. However, the order in which it is performed may vary.

When this phrase is used, it implies recognition of the merits of the military man and showing respect for him. This is a unique form of greeting used by soldiers.

At all times, the youngest military man in rank and age gave the honor first, thereby recognizing the high achievements of another soldier. Today honor can be given to:

To one person.
A group of people.
An item of special significance. We can talk about a monument to fallen heroes, a banner, etc.

Both the military salute itself and the procedure for performing it can vary significantly in different armed forces. The reason for this is the differences in the development of military affairs, the socio-political system, education, science and cultural traditions, etc. However, no matter what such a gesture is, it always indicates respect and recognition of the merits of the person they meet.

There are two options for a military greeting:

The soldier performs it independently, finding himself next to a high-ranking military man.
Honor is given on command. At the same time, the greeting is often carried out by all personnel of a certain formation. This can be either a military unit or unit, or a ship.

Previously, the military salute was called a salute or salutation. Also in the literature you can find such a term as “trump”.

Rules

According to the requirements of modern etiquette, a girl walking with a military man should be on his left side

Since there is a concept of military etiquette, there are certain rules that must be followed when observing it. Similar rules apply to all military personnel, regardless of rank. They are determined by the provisions of the charters and the principles of the military oath.

There are also concepts of general etiquette. For example, in the old days, a man, being a protector and support for his woman, had to walk to her left. This was explained by the fact that he carried the weapon on his side, and if necessary, he should not have touched her if he pulled it out.

However, due to the need to salute, this rule of etiquette is a thing of the past. Today, uniformed soldiers walk to the right of the woman. In this case, the military man will not touch her with his elbow during the greeting. In addition, if a soldier is walking with a companion on his arm, he also needs to be to her right so that his right hand remains free for greeting.

Differences when performing a greeting

Many people who are not familiar with the nuances of army etiquette are interested in which hand they salute with? In all countries, honor is given with the right hand. This tradition does not depend on the culture of each specific country and is international. Violation of this rule is possible only due to inexperience or oversight.

The difference in a military salute may only concern the presence or absence of a headdress. Some believe that such a gesture arose as a simplification of the procedure for removing the headdress. At the moment, there are several hypotheses about the origin of the army salute:

The ritual originated in Great Britain. Here, military personnel with junior ranks greeted their elders by removing their hats. It has been this way since time immemorial. However, during the period from the 18th to the 19th centuries, soldiers' hats became quite cumbersome in order to constantly remove them. Therefore, the greeting procedure was reduced to a simple touch of the visor.
Another hypothesis says that the tradition of saluting originated in the United States. The first records regarding this military ritual date back to the second half of the 19th century. The emergence of army traditions occurred as a result of the end of the Civil War between the North and South. The army that won this war consisted of volunteers who did not have any combat skills. They wore ordinary clothes and often did not have hats. Therefore, honor was given by placing a hand on the head.
Romantic hypothesis. It is believed that the army salute originally arose as a gesture of a knight covering his eyes when he saw his lady. In this case, there is no connection to the headdress.

Thus, today it is impossible to say with confidence which version of the military greeting is initially correct. However, in most countries, the hand is placed on the cap, and greeting without a headdress is considered a violation of the regulations.

Military salute in different countries

In all armies of the world, military honor is given with the right hand.

Regardless of the specifics of the military salute adopted by the army of a particular country, there are certain general rules. When planning to salute, a soldier has no right to lower his eyes or bow his head.

When greeting another military man, you should look him in the eye, which indicates mutual respect, regardless of rank and rank. As mentioned above, you should salute exclusively with your right hand.

The differences may be in the hand gesture and the rotation of the palm. Let's look at the most popular types of military greetings:

In Great Britain, the hand is brought to the right eyebrow, with the palm facing outward.
In France, the greeting is done with the palm facing down.
In the US Army, soldiers also turn their palm down when saluting. In this case, the hand should be slightly extended forward, as if shielding the soldier’s eyes from the sun.
The Italian Army has slightly modified rules. Here, when greeting, the palm should be slightly raised above the level of the visor.
The greeting in the Polish army should be done only with the index and middle fingers, which are placed against the visor. The soldiers of Tsarist Russia saluted in a similar way until 1856.

Since 1856, in Russia the honor is given as follows: the entire palm is used, which turns downwards. The soldier's hand is positioned in such a way that his middle finger lightly touches the visor of his cap, being directed towards the soldier's temple.

It is because of this method of military greeting that such synonyms of military greeting as “trump”, “trump” and “take under the peak” appeared.

In Russia, a military salute is carried out with the right hand, which is enshrined in the corresponding paragraph of the Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Andreev Alexey

Have you ever wondered why military personnel put their hand to the visor of their cap when saluting? And why is this gesture not only spelled out in the regulations of our army, but also typical as a sign of greeting for the armies of the whole world? The military sometimes does not realize that, saluting each other, they exactly repeat the movements of medieval knights, who raised the visors of their helmets and always recorded the moment when their faces were completely open to each other...

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City scientific and practical marathon

“A step into science. Junior"

Section “History. Social science"

Research

Completed

student of grade 3 "B"

MBOU "Secondary School No. 226" Zarechny

Andreev Alexey.

Scientific adviser:

primary teacher

classes of MBOU "Secondary School No. 226"

Malkova Elena Alexandrovna

Zarechny

2012

LEADING.

2. CHAPTER 1. Why do the military salute?

3. CHAPTER 2.

4. CHAPTER 3. Military greeting in Russia.

5. CONCLUSION.

6. LITERATURE.

INTRODUCTION

I'm in a cadet class and I'm interested in everything related to the military. I often see how soldiers, when meeting each other, put their right hand to their temple. I decided to research what this gesture means and where this tradition came from.

Goal of the work:

To figure out, why do military men, when saluting, put their hand to their headdress,and from what time does this tradition begin?

Research objectives:

Conduct a survey;

Hypothesis:

Historical hypothesis (Middle Ages): Heavy cavalrymen (knights, knights) wore helmets in the Middle Ages. Many helmets had visors or masks to protect the face. When riding oncoming, as a gesture showing peaceful intentions, the knight raised his visor or mask. He exposed his face so that the person he met could recognize him. This was done with the right hand, which also showed that the warrior was not ready to start a fight and did not have aggressive intentions. The gesture seemed to say: “there is no weapon in my right hand.”

Research methods:questionnaire (APPENDIX 1), literature study, comparison and analysis of the collected material.

Object of study:military traditions.

CHAPTER 1. Why do the military salute?

At the end of the 18th century, junior officers greeted senior officers, and soldiers saluted officers by removing their headdress. Civilians still bow to each other this way as a sign of respect. This tradition probably dates back to the times when a knight was required to raise his visor or remove his helmet in front of his lord.

CHAPTER 2.

Where did the custom of saluting come from?

The tradition of the modern military salute originates on the island of Great Britain. In many armies around the world, junior ranks greeted senior ranks by removing their hats, as was the case in the British Army, but by the 18th and 19th centuries, soldiers’ hats had become so bulky that this greeting was reduced to a simple touch of the visor. The greeting we know took shape in 1745 in the Coldstream Regiment, an elite guard unit of the Queen of England’s personal guard. In the regimental regulations of the guards it was written: “Personnel are ordered not to raise their hats when they pass by an officer or address him, but only to press their hands to their hat and bow.”

In 1762, the charter of the Scots Guards clarified: “Since nothing disfigures a headdress and contaminates the lacings like removing a hat, in the future, personnel are only ordered to raise their palm to their hat with a short gesture when passing by an officer.” Such an innovation caused some resistance, but, as we see, it still took root. At the same time, great importance is attached to the fact that during a military greeting they do not bow their heads or lower their eyes, this means that military personnel of different ranks are free people serving one state.

By the middle of the 19th century, the military salute in Great Britain had undergone new changes: the hand brought to the headdress (more precisely, to the right eyebrow) is facing outward with the palm. This tradition continues to this day. In the USA, the hand is brought slightly forward, as if closing the eyes from the sun, and the palm looks at the ground. The American gesture was influenced by the traditions of the British Navy: back in the days of sailing ships, sailors used pitch and tar to seal cracks in the wooden parts of the ship so that they would not let sea water through. At the same time, the hands were protected with white gloves, but showing a dirty palm was undignified, so in the navy the greeting hand turned 90 degrees down. The military salutes the same way in France.

CHAPTER 3.

Military greeting in Russia.

1. Using a questionnaire, I interviewed 23 classmates.

When asked if you know why the military, when saluting, put their hand to their headdress, all the guys answered in the negative.

To the question: “What do you think,? a negative answer was also given.

After analyzing the questionnaires (APPENDICES 1, 2), I saw that my classmates do not know why the military, when saluting, put their hand to their right temple and have no ideaSince when has this tradition been going on?

2. In the city and school libraries I found the literature I needed for research.

3. Having familiarized myself with the collected material (APPENDIX 3), I found out that in modern army speech you can periodically hear the expression salute , however, taking into account changes in the structure of society and themilitary greeting

knightsvisorarmies

CONCLUSION

conclusion, hypothesis:

The military salute is a ritual that supposedly originates from the medievalknights. To show their nobility in the face of the enemy, the knights threw backvisor

LITERATURE

Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary.

General military regulations of the RF Armed Forces (chapter 3), 2011.

ANNEX 1

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear friend! I ask you to take part in the survey and answer the following questions:

2. What do you think?Since when has this tradition been going on??

APPENDIX 2

Survey results

23 people took part in the survey.

1. Do you know why soldiers, when saluting, put their hand to their headdress?

“No” - 23 students, 100%.

2. What do you think?Since when has this tradition been going on??

“I don’t know” - 23 students, 100%.

APPENDIX 3

Magazine "Around the World" 01/19/2009.

Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary.

Encyclopedia "1001 questions".

- “Children’s encyclopedia for the lazy,” 1995.

General military regulations of the RF Armed Forces (chapter 2, 3), 2011.

Military etiquette. Textbook\ Under general. ed. B.V. Vorobyova-M., 2005.

Platonov B.N. Military etiquette - M., 1983.

Theses

"Why do the military salute."

Research

Justification of the relevance of the topic:

I'm in a cadet class and I'm interested in everything related to the military. I often see how soldiers, when meeting each other, put their right hand to their temple. This gesture interested me.

I asked my classmates and parents:

- Why do soldiers put their hand to their headdress when saluting?

When does this tradition begin?

It turned out that my friends did not know the answers to the questions posed. I decided to help them.

Goal of the work:

To figure out, why do the military, when “saluting”, put their hand to their headdress,and since when does this tradition go back?

To achieve this goal, I set for myself tasks :

Conduct a survey;

Go to the library and find the necessary literature;

Contact parents for help collecting information online;

It is good to think and comprehend the collected material.

In the course of reviewing the information received, it was put forward hypothesis:

The military salute is a ritual that supposedly originates from the medievalknights. At that time they wore helmets on their heads. Many helmets had visors or masks to protect the face. When riding oncoming, as a gesture showing peaceful intentions, the knight raised his visor or mask. He exposed his face so that the person he met could recognize him. This was done with the right hand, which also showed that the warrior was not ready to start a fight and did not have aggressive intentions. The gesture seemed to say: “there is no weapon in my right hand.”

The result The work included a selection of materials on this topic, a slide presentation and a brochure “Military Greeting”, which can be used in extracurricular activities in the “History of the Russian Army” classes.

After reviewing the collected material, I found out that in modern army speech you can hear the expression salute , however, with the change in the structure of society and themilitary greetingfrom a ceremony to a modern tribute to tradition, this expression is a rarely used phrase.

What is “salute”? This means showing respect to a person of higher rank. It has been established that this was done in different ways at different times. Greetings in one form or another have always existed among all peoples. The forms of greeting were different: bowing, kneeling, falling face down on the ground, various hand gestures. The military greeting that is customary in the army - placing the right hand on the visor of the cap - appeared quite recently.

I learned that the military salute is a ritual supposedly borrowed from the medievalknights. To show their nobility in the face of the enemy, the knights threw backvisorhelmet The characteristic movement of the hand formed the basis of the modern military greeting. In the Russian Armed Forces, the military salute is performed with the fingers of the right hand closed and the hand straightened; unlike a number of othersarmiespeace, with the head uncovered, the military greeting is performed without raising a hand, by assuming a military position.

This is what it says inChartere internal service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces).

Article 43. Chapter 2. RELATIONS BETWEEN MILITARY SERVICEMEN

The military salute is the embodiment of the comradely cohesion of military personnel, evidence of mutual respect and a manifestation of common culture. All military personnel are obliged to greet each other when meeting (overtaking), strictly observing the rules established by the drill regulations of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Subordinates and juniors in military rank greet first, and in case of equal position, the one who considers himself more polite and well-mannered greets first.

When meeting, the junior in rank is obliged to greet the senior first; if they belong to different categories of military personnel (soldier - Officer, junior officer - senior officer), a senior officer may perceive failure to perform a military greeting upon meeting as an insult.

As a result of the work done, I came to conclusion, that putting the fingers of the right hand to the temple in the military means “salute” or greeting. This confirms the previously stated hypothesis:

The military salute is a ritual that supposedly originates from the medievalknights. To show their nobility in the face of the enemy, the knights threw backvisorhelmet The characteristic movement of the hand formed the basis of the modern military greeting.

SALUTE. 1. to whom. Greet in a military manner, placing your hand on your headdress. As soon as the admiral stepped ashore, the music began to play and the officers saluted(Goncharov. Frigate “Pallada”). 2. to whom; to what. Same as to whom; to what(in the 2nd value). And we must give her credit: she was a great master at preparing many dishes.(Pisemsky. A thousand souls) . He ate a lot, but not greedily, He gave honor to the appetizer, It’s so good, it’s so smooth, You’ll look - you’ll want to eat(A. Tvardovsky. Vasily Terkin).

Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST.

A. I. Fedorov.

2008. See what “Salute” is in other dictionaries: salute

- to salute, to make a salute, to take under the visor, to salute Dictionary of Russian synonyms. to give the honor of taking (or making) a salute; trump, salute (colloquial) Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z.E...- HONOR, and, oh honor, in honor and in honor, w. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- to salute, to make a salute, to take under the visor, to salute Dictionary of Russian synonyms. to give the honor of taking (or making) a salute; trump, salute (colloquial) Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z.E...- Veterans salute during the 2008 Victory Parade. The military salute is a ritual believed to have its origins in medieval knights. To show their nobility in the face of the enemy, the knights threw back the visor of their helmet. Characteristic... ... Wikipedia

Give / salute- to whom. 1. Unlock Greet someone by placing your hand on your headdress. BMS 1998, 625; F 2, 24. 2. Unfolding. Joking. Give due consideration to someone. BMS 1998, 625. 3. Kar. Name who l. by name and patronymic. SRGK 4, 287. 4. Psk. Iron. Beat...... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

GIVE UP- I’ll give, you’ll give, I’ll give, I’ll give, I’ll give, I’ll give, pov. give it back, please gave, gave, gave; gave, owl (to give). 1. who what. Return (taken) to the one from whom it was taken; hand it back. “If they would give two altyns or eight kopecks, they wouldn’t follow us... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

HONOR- HONOR, and, oh honor, in honor and in honor, wives. 1. Moral qualities of a person worthy of respect and pride; its corresponding principles. Debt of honor. A matter of honor (concerns someone's honor). To hurt someone's n. Part: Court of Honor (officer). 2. Good,... ... Salute

give away- Pay your last debt to honor the memory of someone. deceased, to attend whose n. funeral. He was so far away that he could not pay his last debt to his father. Give credit where credit is due and appreciate it fully. We couldn't do him justice during his lifetime... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Language

HONOR Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

HONOR- 1. HONOR1, honor, about honor, in honor and in honor, plural. (obsolete) honor, honors, honors, wives. 1. units only Moral or social dignity, that which evokes and maintains respect (for oneself or from others). “And the first treasure is my honor... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Books

Stranger. Power and honor, Koval Yaroslav. Hard times have come for the Empire. The civil war threatens to split the country into pieces, destroy it in the flames of mutual hostility and struggle for power. The Demon Emperor, like many years ago,...