Greek Traditions Community

How do Greeks greet each other?

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blopez34

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What is the etiquette for greeting someone when you first meet them in Greece? I want to make sure to be as appropriate as possible
 
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It depends on the persons gender, your relationship to the person you're greeting, how traditional they are, and how old they are. It's sort of tricky to understand if you haven't been around Greeks for a very long time. The safest bet is to shake hands or to shake hands and kiss on the cheek simultaneously
 
I usually like to follow lead of the people around me. Usually, I noticed that people in Greece tend to greet me first, so I just sort of mimic what they do. If I am not sure, I take a more formal approach, and then if they switch to an informal approach, I adjust. I think it is better to be "too formal", which is looked at as more respectful, than too informal.
 
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You greet them the same way you'd do it in the USA (if you're from the USA).

Geia sou re malaka!
Xarika re malaka!
 
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k_tsoukalas said:
I usually like to follow lead of the people around me. Usually, I noticed that people in Greece tend to greet me first, so I just sort of mimic what they do. If I am not sure, I take a more formal approach, and then if they switch to an informal approach, I adjust. I think it is better to be "too formal", which is looked at as more respectful, than too informal.
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I agree, always better to stay on the formal side when you're unsure
 
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