| In
western countries, shaking another person's hand has a long history. A
common belief is that it originated as a way to see if the other person was carrying
a weapon or not. One theory is that because, in England
as in Japan, people drive on the left, and that two horsemen riding towards each
other used to shake hands to show that they weren't carrying swords in their right
hands. Anyway, it eventually became a way to greet
people when meeting or departing. In Western Europe,
America and Canada, many people shake hands when they meet a new person, see an
acquaintance or old friend, or when saying goodbye. Almost
always men and women shake hands in business situations. Traditionally,
men have to stand to shake hands but women don't have to get up from their seats. However,
as there are more and more women in the world of business, it is getting increasingly
common for them to stand up as well. Kissing a woman's
hand is considered to be very old-fashioned these days. The
proper way to shake someone's hand is to take the person's right hand into your
hand and shake it firmly once or twice. | 
