Human society is developing, traditions, attitudes, speech, language itself are changing, finally. How obsolete even in the army vocabulary rites “I have honor” and “salute” go out of use. Even the original meaning of these wonderful phrases is distorted.
What does it mean to salute
About any giving of their own honor was not originally discussed. It was a question of recognizing the merits of a person walking towards him, of respect for him. At all times, the youngest was the first to greet both by age and by rank or rank, recognizing high virtues. You can salute both a person or a group of people, or something sacred - a banner or a monument to fallen heroes.
A gesture, whatever it was, was always a sign of recognition of honor in the oncoming one. At all times and all nations, there have been various forms of greetings and expressions of respect: one could bow down, kneel 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 “salute” - this means to welcome. And if the dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov describes this greeting only as putting a hand on the headgear, then V.I. Dahl gives a whole list of actions. You can salute by bowing, bowing your sword or banner, making weapons on guard, breaking the drum roll.
The legend of the emergence of a military greeting
The appearance of a greeting with a gesture of raising his right hand to his eyes is attributed to the famous British pirate Francis Drake, who was honored to welcome the English Queen Elizabeth I aboard his ship. The legendary pirate did not have an officer rank and became a knight after a trip around the world. Fulfilling the secret order of Her Majesty, Drake not only robbed Spanish ships, he opened many sea lanes and made several geographical discoveries.
Legend has it that the captain of the pirates was standing against the sun when the queen was rising along the ramp, and closed his eyes, putting the palm of his right hand on them with a visor. The team behind him back harmoniously repeated this gesture. The gallant corsair complimented the ugly Elizabeth by comparing her to the blinding sun, which subjugated Her Majesty. Evil tongues claimed that it was precisely for the gallantry that Drake was knighted and the gesture spread to the armies of the world.
Historical versions of the emergence of a military salute
One of the historical versions of the emergence of saluting refers to chivalric traditions. A knight on a horse with reins and a shield in his left hand, meeting the same knight, with his right hand raised the visor of his helmet. 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 cumbersome, the rule appeared not to take them off, but to greet the officers, pressing their hand to the hat and bowing. Then they even stopped touching the hat, as the soldiers' hands were always stained with soot, because they needed to set fire to the oppression of the muskets. And with what hand Her Majesty's guards are saluting, the charters did not specify. Most likely, by itself it was implied that the right.
Horse and foot officers saluted by raising their knives, bringing the hilt to their lips and then moving it to the right and down. The question with which hand salute the officers did not arise.
Military greeting in different countries
In the military salute 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 of which hand they salute in the army - only with the right.
But the gesture of the hand and the turn of the palm may be slightly different. Since the 19th century, in the British army, a 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 dirty palms were not worth showing, the palm was turned down in the greeting. The same greeting is accepted in France. In the US Army, during a greeting, the palm is turned down, and the hand extended a little forward, as if covering eyes from the sun. In the Italian army, the palm is carried out above the visor in front.
In tsarist Russia until 1856 and in today's Poland, military greeting was carried out with the index and middle finger. Since 1856, after the Crimean War in the Soviet Army and today's Russian army, the honor is given with the whole palm, which is turned down. At the same time, the middle finger looks at the temple, touching the visor of the uniform cap. Hence the synonyms of the expression "salute" - take under the hood, open up.
The hand with which Russian troops salute is enshrined in the Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Rules of etiquette
There is military etiquette that all the military are obliged to follow. Its rules are determined not only by traditions and rituals, the principles of morality, but also by the provisions of the military oath and charters.
But there is common etiquette for all, according to which, for example, a man as a support and defender in the past, with arms on his side, should go to the left of the companion. But the exceptions to the general rules also depend on which hand they salute in Russia and not only. Military men in uniform always go to the right of a woman, so as not to touch her elbow during a military greeting. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If a serviceman in uniform is walking with his companion's arm, then he should be to her right so that the arm for a military salute remains free.
Differences in the performance of military greetings
Military greeting in all countries is given with the right hand. The question of which country is saluted with the left hand arises when high government ranks, due to oversight or inexperience, violate the rules for giving military honor, which are either enshrined in charters or are an unshakable tradition.
A serious difference can be considered not with which hand they salute, but only the presence or absence of a headdress when saluting.
It would seem that if the gesture of the right hand appeared while simplifying the procedure for removing the headgear, then a uniform cap or cap is mandatory in such a ritual. But no. Army traditions in the United States began to take shape after the victory of the army of northerners in the Civil War of the North and South in the second half of the XIX century. The army of winners was formed from volunteers without combat training and dressed in ordinary clothes, often without hats. Honor in it was given simply by putting hands on the head. Since then, the US Army has been honored regardless of the presence of a uniform cap or cap on its head.
Giving military honor, or, in the modern interpretation of the Russian military regulations, military greeting is a ritual overshadowed by the centuries-old traditions of the armies of all countries of the world.