In what cases is a military salute not given? Which hand do the military salute?

MILITARY ETIQUETTE: I have the honor!

To salute means to show respect to a person of higher rank. It has been established that at different times this was done in different ways. And there are many versions of the origin of this ritual.
Many believe that the tradition of the modern military salute, or salute, originates on the island of Great Britain. In many armies of the world, junior ranks greeted senior ranks by removing their hats, and this was, in fact, the case in the British army, but by the 18th-19th centuries, soldiers’ headdresses had become so bulky and “complicated” that this greeting was reduced to a simple touch of the visor.

WHERE THE CUSTOM CAME FROM

The greeting we know is believed to have taken 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 hats 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 ordered to only briefly raise their palm to their hat when passing 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: military personnel of different ranks are free people serving one state. By the middle of the 19th century, the military greeting in Great Britain had undergone new changes: the hand raised to the headdress (more precisely, to the right eyebrow) is facing outward with the palm.

In the USA, the hand is brought forward slightly, 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 they salute with the entire palm facing down, with the middle finger looking at the temple.

HONOR?! NOBODY!

But there are other opinions. 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 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.” !" It sounds very pompous, and it is, to put it mildly, difficult to apply to the army with “hazing” and other delights. However, the ritual of giving military honor still exists. And it arose back in the 13th century among the knights. If, when meeting in an “open field,” they had no intention of engaging in battle, then they raised the visors of their metal helmets. And although they were later replaced by helmets, cocked hats, hats and the like, the custom of raising a hand to the head as a sign of friendliness remained. When meeting each other, the knights lifted the visor of their helmet with their right hands to show that their friend’s face was hidden behind the armor. Raising their hand to their headdress, modern military personnel repeat this gesture, paying the traditional duty of politeness to their older (and younger) colleague in uniform.

And again - the role of a beautiful lady.
There are 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.

"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 allegedly began to be 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 changed, morals 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.

A military salute or salute is a gesture or other action used to show respect by members of the military. The history of saluting in the military goes back hundreds of years. The military traditions of different countries and times were extremely diverse. Hand gestures, rifle and cannon shots, hoisting of banners, removal of headdresses and other means were used, all to show respect and deference.

There is a beautiful legend about the first fireworks.

Sir Francis Drake, a legendary sailor and pirate, in 1588, while receiving Queen Elizabeth of England (far from the standard of beauty) on his ship, pretended to be blind from her beauty, covering his eyes with his palm, and, supposedly, this tradition was born.

According to another version, more plausible, the knights, when meeting, raised the visor of their helmet with their unarmed hand, thereby greeting their comrades. Today it is believed that the modern gesture of saluting in the army has its roots in the second. Over time, placing the right hand on the headdress has become mandatory to express respect in all regular (and not only) armies of the world.

Interesting! Modern military honoring comes from Great Britain, as documented by military regulations.

How they salute in the armies of the world: diversity of traditions

In Britain, a military salute is a sign of respect for the highest ranking officer and the Queen on whose behalf he is acting.

Important! A prerequisite for a hand gesture, for example, is the presence of a headdress: beret, cap, etc. Without a headdress (indoors), you should stand at attention.

Prim British etiquette puts forward the most stringent requirements for the criteria for performing the salute. How to salute correctly in the army, the military regulations popularly explain:

the fingers should be pressed tightly together, the thumb located along the palm facing outward, the middle finger to the right and slightly above the eyebrows. As a result, the center of the conventional axis of the hand must be fixed at the level of the head, and the middle finger should be approximately level with the base of the cockade;
salute only with the right hand;
The position of the hand should be maintained until a response gesture follows.

During combat operations, statutory salutes are generally prohibited, mainly due to the threat of snipers. At the same time, we should not forget about common sense, because a military base saturated with officers in a short time will turn into a booth, without exceptions.

The salute in the French army is generally identical to the British one. The armies of Australia and New Zealand also inherit the army etiquette of their former mother country. In the US Army, they practice saluting with their heads covered and uncovered, provided that their hands are free. The Israeli army practically believes that it is not worth burdening soldiers with such rituals during barracks life, so it does not oblige anyone to anything.

How did they salute in the Russian army?

The Russian army was created in a European manner, adopting everything, including statutory traditions and military etiquette. Emperor Peter I, its direct creator, was guided by Prussia, Austria, Sweden and other leading military powers of that time. In the imperial army, the military salute was called a salute, and the matter was not limited to just the gesture of removing the hat; when meeting a colleague or superior, a military man had to perform a whole series of bows and curtseys in order to express deep respect to him, depending on his social status. The location (street or room) during the salute also played an important role.

With the advent of massive headdresses in the Russian Imperial Army, such as a helmet and a shako, fastened with a strap at the chin, removal and bowing became extremely problematic, namely long and awkward. It was decided to abandon them and replace them with the long-established salute in Europe using a bladed weapon or moving the hand towards the headdress.

In parallel, for a long time, different options for saluting in the army coexisted and existed side by side. However, the need finally arose to reform and unify this part of military etiquette. Saluting by placing one's hand on the headdress has gained increasing popularity due to its simplicity and clarity. Thus, a universal form of ritual was found. Initially, among officers, preference was given to “trumping” with two fingers of the right hand, the middle and index, the so-called “Polish” greeting; this tradition has been preserved in the Polish Army to this day. The origins of this movement are easily guessed by the simple gesture of removing a hat, when these two fingers were placed on top of the brim, and the big one supported the headdress from below.

In the Russian Empire of the second half of the 19th century, a new form of saluting by placing a brush to the visor of the headdress became the cultural norm. However, the straightened fingers of the hand should be brought to the visor with the palm down, which was recorded in the military regulations of the 1891 edition in this way:

the banner should be saluted at attention;
the crew should salute by moving the hand towards the headdress;
The commander should be greeted by bringing the hand to the headdress with straightened fingers, palm down and slightly outward, keeping the elbow at shoulder level, while the gaze should be on the commander and follow him with the eyes;
When saluting, a military man should not remove his hat to anyone.

Honor was supposed to be given to superiors, members of the royal family, colleagues, the regimental banner, etc. All officers, and all lower ranks without exception, when meeting, were supposed to greet each other by putting their right hand to the visor.

After the revolution, the Soviet government significantly reduced the ritual of saluting the Red Army, but retained the historical basis. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the Russian Federation the military is faithful to traditions, so they teach soldiers how to salute in the army, following the model of 1975, although the expression “to salute” itself, due to various socio-cultural reasons, has become an anachronism and is practically not used.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 eyes, 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 covering the soldier’s eyes from the sun.
The Italian Army has slightly modified rules. 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.

Military greeting, or Which hand is used to salute Human society is developing, traditions, views, turns of speech, and the language itself are changing. How obsolete the vocabulary phrases “I have the honor” and “to salute” are falling out of use even in the army. Even the original meaning of these wonderful phrases is distorted. What does it mean to “give honor” There was initially no talk of giving one’s own honor. It was about recognizing the merits of the person meeting halfway, about respect for him. At all times, the youngest, both in age and in rank or title, was the first to greet, recognizing high merits. You can salute either a person or a group of people, or something sacred - a banner or monument to fallen heroes.

A gesture, no matter what it was, was always a sign of recognition of honor in the counter. At all times and among all peoples there were various forms of greetings and expressions of respect: one could bow to the ground, bend the knee or both, prostrate oneself, click one's heels and nod one's bare head. In the dictionaries of V. I. Dahl and S. I. Ozhegov, “to salute” means to greet. And if S. I. Ozhegov’s dictionary describes this greeting only as placing a hand on a headdress, then V. I. Dal gives a whole list of actions. You can salute by bowing, bowing your sword or banner, making a weapon on guard, or beating a drum. The legend of the origin of the military greeting The origin of the greeting with the gesture of the right hand raised to the eyes is attributed to the famous British pirate Francis Drake, who was honored to welcome the English Queen Elizabeth I on board his ship. The legendary pirate did not have an officer rank and became a knight after traveling around the world. Carrying out a secret order from Her Majesty, Drake not only robbed Spanish ships, he discovered many sea routes and made several geographical discoveries.

Legend has it that the pirate captain stood against the sun as the queen ascended the ladder and closed his eyes, placing the palm of his right hand over them. The team lined up behind him harmoniously repeated this gesture. The gallant corsair paid the ugly Elizabeth a compliment, comparing her to the blinding sun, which captivated Her Majesty. Evil tongues claimed that it was for gallantry that Drake was knighted, and the gesture spread throughout the armies of the world. Historical versions of the origin of the military salute One of the historical versions of the origin of salutation refers to knightly traditions. A knight on a horse with reins and a shield in his left hand, having met the same knight, raised the visor of his helmet with his right hand. This gesture spoke of peaceful intentions. The version documented by military regulations says that it was in Great Britain in the 18th century, since hats in elite units became very bulky, that the rule arose not to take them off, but to greet officers by pressing a hand to the hat and bowing. Then they stopped even touching the hat, since the soldiers’ hands were always stained with soot, because they had to set fire to the pressure of the muskets. And with which hand Her Majesty’s guards salute was not specified in the regulations. Most likely, it went without saying that it was right.

Mounted and dismounted officers saluted by raising their bladed weapons, bringing the handle closer to their lips and then moving it to the right and down. The question of which hand the officers salute with did not arise. Military salutation in different countries In the military salutation of any army, they do not bow their heads and do not lower their eyes, which also speaks of mutual honor, regardless of ranks and ranks, and there is no question about which hand is used to salute in the army - only the right one. But the hand gesture and the turn of the palm may be slightly different. Since the 19th century, in the British Army, the hand raised to the right eyebrow is facing outward. In the British Navy, since the days of sailing ships, when the hands of sailors were stained with tar and tar, and it was undignified to show dirty palms, the palm was turned down in salute. The same greeting is accepted in France. In the US Army, during a greeting, the palm is turned down, and the hand, held slightly forward, seems to shield the eyes from the sun. In the Italian army, the palm is placed above the visor in front.

In Tsarist Russia until 1856 and today's Poland, the military salute was performed with the index and middle fingers. Since 1856 after the Crimean War in the Soviet Army and today's Russian Army, honor is given with the entire palm facing down. The middle finger looks at the temple, touching the visor of the uniform cap. Hence the synonyms for the expression “salute” - take up the salute, salute. The hand with which Russian military personnel salute is stipulated by the Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Rules of Etiquette There is military etiquette that all military personnel must follow. Its rules are determined not only by traditions and rituals, principles of morality and ethics, but also by the provisions of the military oath and regulations. But there is also an etiquette common to all, according to which, for example, a man, as a support and protector in the past, also with a weapon on his side, should walk to the left of his companion. But exceptions to the general rules also depend on which hand is used to salute in Russia and beyond. Military men in uniform always walk to the woman's right so as not to touch her with their elbow during a military salute. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If a soldier in uniform walks with a companion on his arm, then he should be to her right so that his hand remains free for the military greeting. Differences in performing the military salute The military salute in all countries is given with the right hand. The question of which country salutes with the left hand arises when high government officials, through oversight or inexperience, violate the rules of giving military honor, which are either enshrined in regulations or are an unshakable tradition.

A serious difference can be considered not with which hand one salutes, but only with the presence or absence of a headdress when saluting. It would seem that if the gesture of the right hand arose when simplifying the procedure for removing a headdress, then a uniform cap or cap is required in such a ritual. But no. Army traditions in the United States began to take shape after the victory of the northern army in the Civil War of the North and South in the second half of the 19th century. The winning army was formed from volunteers without combat skills and dressed in ordinary clothes, often without hats. Honor was given by simply placing a hand on the head. Since then, in the US Army, honor is given regardless of the presence of a uniform cap or cap on the head. Giving military honor, or, in the modern interpretation of the Russian military regulations, a military salute, is a ritual overshadowed by the centuries-old traditions of the armies of all countries of the world.