While such gestures as tipping one's hat as one passed others on the street could be considered salutes, the most common civilian salute is rendered to the flag. In the United States, civilians salute the flag by placing their right hands over their hearts. (Men remove any headgear and hold it over their hearts, if applicable.) In Latin America, especially in Mexico, a salute similar to the United States military's salute (see below), but the hand is placed across the left chest with the palm facing the ground. (For a demonstration, see the [Richard Dryfuss]? movie "Moon Over Parador.")
The raised clenched fist was popularized by the Communist Party, and in some locations it maintains that association. In the United States, however, its antecedents have been forgotten and it has become a generic gesture of solidarity and determination.
(Fist to forehead in Kosovo?)
(V-for-Victory / Peace Sign)
(Bowing, both European and Oriental)
(Genuflection)
(Kow-Towing, Salaaming, and other prostrations)
A common military hand salute consists of raising the right hand, held flat, to the right eyebrow. In the United States, the hand is horizontal, as if shading the eyes, while in countries with more [[Great Britain|British] traditions, the hand is turned so the palm is visible to the one receiving the salute.
The origin of this salute is unknown, though one theory suggests that it probably originated first by showing that the right hand (the fighting hand) was not concealing a weapon. Another suggestion is that when men-at-arms wore armor, a friendly approach would include holding the reins of the horse with the left hand while raising the visor of the helmet with the right, so that one could be identified.
The Roman salute is the oldest known hand salute. It consists of holding the right arm straight out from the shoulder, elevated about forty-five degrees. It was widely used throughout the world, including in the United States, until World War II. Benito Mussolini and the [Fascist Party]? of Italy, seeking to revive the spirit of the Roman Empire, adopted the Roman salute in the early 1920s. [Adolph Hitler]? copied it, and it developed such a close association with Nazis that it has never been used by any organization not specifically linking itself to the Nazis since then.
When carrying a sword (which is still done on ceremonial occasions), European military forces and their cultural descendents use a two-step gesture. The sword is first raised, in the right hand, to the level of and close to the front of the neck. The blade is inclined forward and up 30 degrees from the vertical; the true edge is to the left. Then the sword is slashed downward to a position with the point close to the ground in front of the right foot. The blade is inclined down and forward with the true edge to the left. This gesture orginated in the Crusades. The hilt of a broadsword formed a cross, so if a actual Crucifix was not available, a Crusader could kiss the hilt of his sword when praying, before entering battle, for oaths and vows, and so on. The lowering of the point to the ground is a traditional act of submission. When armed with a rifle, two different levels of formality are available when saluting. The most formal method is called "present arms"; the rifle is brought to the vertical, muzzle up, in front of center of the chest with the trigger away from the body. The hands hold the stock close to the positions they would have if the rifle were being fired, though the trigger is not touched. Less formal salutes include the "order arms salute" and the "shoulder arms salutes." These are often given by a sentry to a low-ranking superior who does not rate the full "present arms" salute. In the "order arms salute," the rifle rests on its butt by the sentry's right foot, held near the muzzle by the sentry's right hand, and does not move. The sentry brings his flattened left hand across his body and touches the rifle near its muzzle. When the rifle is being carried on the shoulder, a similar gesture is used in which the flattened free hand is brought across the body to touch the rifle near the rear of the receiver.
The custom of firing cannon salutes originated in the British Navy. When a cannon was fired, it partially disarmed the ship, so firing a cannon needlessly showed respect and trust. The British, being the dominant naval power, compelled the ships of weaker nations to make the first salute. At first ships were required to fire seven guns, and forts, with their more numerous guns and a larger supply of gunpowder, to fire twenty-one times. Later, as the quality of gunpowder improved, the British increased the number of shots required from ships to match the forts.
As naval customs evolved, the twenty-one gun salute came to be reserved for heads of states, and lower numbers of guns were used to salute lower ranking officials.
See also the [one-finger salute]? and three-finger salute.
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