10 Bizarre Origins Of Everyday Traditions That Will Blow Your Mind

7. Shaking Hands

The Tradition Today: The practice of shaking hands is one that needs little introduction: nearly universally, it€™s a gesture to communicate trust, goodwill, respect, equality, or sportsmanship. Though with some perspective it may seem a bit strange (€œLet me consummate our meeting by grasping your hand with mine and vigorously fondling it!€), and slightly unsanitary, no one really gives it a second thought. Where It Came From: That, however, was not always the case. Handshaking can be traced as far back as Ancient Egypt, surviving through Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and medieval Europe; throughout all of these civilizations, the practice had a common purpose: checking to make sure the greeter was not concealing any weapons to possibly murder one with. It may seem paranoid today, but back in the day it was (probably) a genuine concern. Since weapons were most often wielded by the right hand (and us lefties were automatically Satan's spawn, anyway), the practice involved the right hand to show that it was unarmed. The Romans took it a step further with their arm clasp to check for hidden daggers, and the tradition was perfected by the time it rolled around to medieval times, when people physically shook the hands to dislodge any particularly well-hidden items €“ no €œdead fish€ handshakes for them, presumably.