The origin of the 7 most popular gestures in the world

“OK”, thumbs up or the gored hand: every day we see many gestures that have become so familiar that we don’t even think about their origin. However, most of these signs have a much deeper meaning than we can imagine.

O awesome.club gathered data on the most interesting gestures of all time, whose origin is surprising. At the end of the post there is a bonus, in which we will explain where the game comes from: “rock, paper or scissors”, the popular jokempo.

One of the versions about the origin of this gesture says that it appeared in 1839, thanks to the American press. Journalists from a Boston newspaper joked and printed the letters “OK” from “oll korrect”, that is, “all correct” (all correct) written with misspellings. The comic abbreviation became popular and soon the sign appeared to represent it: the fingers forming the letter “O”. According to another version, the sign was adopted by the Buddhists. It is identical to the gesture Vitarka mudra, which is used by spiritual masters in teaching and discussion. In this case, the thumb and forefinger symbolize a circle of understanding.

Not everyone knows the name of this gesture, however, this does not prevent it from being one of the most used in the world. According to one version, this sign appeared in honor of the Hawaiian fisherman Hamana Kalili, who lost three fingers on his right hand. After the accident, he worked as a security guard on a train, and once, when he had to show that “everything was all right,” he waved his mangled hand. The children imitated him and this became a sign of shaka. They recently made a monument to this man at a Polynesian Cultural Center.

In the 19th century, the version popularized that the Roman Emperor’s thumbs up meant that clemency was being granted to the defeated gladiator. If he was down, he encouraged his murder. This plot was represented by Jean-Leon Gerome in his painting “Pollice verse”. Today this version is questioned because, in fact, to save the lives of the defeated, the rulers raised their fist. In Slavic villages, the thumbs up meant a good sign, a symbol of fertility. Now, this gesture, which has migrated from real life to the Internet, the popular “like”.

This sign, which today is strongly associated with Nazism, in fact has a centuries-old history. It is believed that with this plaster, Emperors and military leaders welcomed their legionaries. A modern variation of the Roman salute became famous in the painting “The Oath of the Horatii” by Jacques-Louis David.

The gesture of “hitting the five” (give me five or high five in English) comes from the sport and seems to have first appeared in a baseball game in 1977. Two players made a successful combination: one of them enthusiastically raised his hand over his head and the second, not guessing what he was supposed to do , just hit it with his palm. Fans liked the brilliant gesture, which became massive. In the United States there is even a “knock with five” greeting day, which is celebrated on the third Thursday of April.

The horned hand of rockers would have originated, at first, in a very common magical gesture, both in Europe and Asia. It was believed that he could protect against the forces of evil, the evil eye and witches.

Who popularized this gesture was the late singer of the group Black Sabbath and Raimbow🇧🇷 Ronnie James Dio, which he would have learned from his superstitious grandmother. That is, the gesture is not evil. On the contrary, it serves to ward off evil.

The “V” sign has a curious history. In the Middle Ages, these two fingers on the right hand of captive archers were cut off so they could never shoot again. They, knowing this, before the battle were amused by the enemy showing intact fingers, an openly offensive gesture. Today no longer seen like that, it just means peace and victory. Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II helped in its dissemination. In addition, the sign has become one of the symbols of the hippie movement, thanks to which everyone knows about it. In the end, who better than pacifists to make the “peace” sign?

This simple gesture game, also known as jokempô, is used to resolve disputes all over the world and has Chinese origins. This amusement was called shoushiling and became popular during the last Han dynasty. According to one version, it was used for private competitions between Chinese commanders. Nowadays, the game is so popular that there is an international federation which even organizes world championships. In Japan, this discipline is known as mushi-ken🇧🇷

We hope to have surprised you with the story about the origin of the most common gestures used worldwide.

Tell us, what other symbols would you like to know.