In the arab culture, gestures and greetings are important part of social life. It is a norm for every man to acknowledge the presence of every person within your space. Unlike in the Philippines or most western culture that i know where a simple nod is enough as a greeting, it is necessary to say "Assalamalaikum" or give a hand shake even in informal situations. They never runout of standard phrases to sayeverytime they meet a person even let say they have met the person a while ago.
Here are some of the important phrases and gestures that they say and do:
Assalamalaikum- the english translation of this is "peace e upon you". Although this is a Muslim greeting, this phrase is embedded in the Arab culture. It is commonly said to a person you just see or an introduction in every phone call.
Kef halek- this means how are you. A standard phrase after assalamalaikum. But i've noticed that they just don't consider the person they're talking with but also they ask how's everyone in the family,friends etc.
Jazak allah kheir- translated as "may God reward you" in english. A phrase commonly say after a thank you or "shukran". This may also mean thank you but saying after thank you emphasizes the meaning.
Yatik al affiyah- "may God give you strength". I often hear this during as a closing remark like saying goodbye or even just seeing a person.
Putting a hand in the chest- this is a commond gesture which means that it is a pleasure meeting a person after a greeting.
Kissing in the cheek- i find it very awkward the first time i saw a man kissing another man in the cheek. It is one of the few things i've noticed when i arrived in Saudi Arabia the first time. It is common norm throughout the arab world to kiss a friend or a family in thr cheek. However this is only true for the same sex. A man kissing a woman who is not a close relative is hardly acceptable. I also noticed that there is a standard way of performing this (i've secretly studied the technique everyitme a situation.
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