salute

Military salutes

Throughout history, military organizations have used many methods to perform salutes. Depending on the situation, a salute could be a hand or body gesture, cannon or rifle shots, hoisting of flags, removing headgear, or other means of showing respect or deference.

Hand salutes

The origin of the hand salute is uncertain. It may have begun in late Roman antiquity when assassinations were common. A citizen who wished to approach an official had to do so with his right hand raised to show that he did not have a weapon. Centuries later, it became traditional for knights wearing armor to raise their visors when passing on horseback. Others also note that the raising of one's visor was a way to identify oneself. Medieval visors were equipped with a protruding spike that allowed it to be raised using a saluting motion.

Some historians believe that the salute originated in Ancient Rome, where it was called salutatio militaris. According to artwork, this salute was performed in the same fashion as today.

The US Army Quartermaster School provides another explanation of the origin of the hand salute: that it was a long-established military courtesy for subordinates to remove their headgear in the presence of superiors. As late as the American Revolution, a British Army soldier saluted by removing his hat. Headgear grew increasingly cumbersome in the 18th and 19th centuries, so the act of removing one's hat was gradually converted into the simpler gesture of grasping or touching the visor and issuing a courteous salutation.

A British order book from 1745 states: "The men are ordered not to pull off their hats when they pass an officer, or to speak to them, but only to clap up their hands to their hats and bow as they pass." Over time, it became conventionalized into something resembling the modern hand salute. In the Austrian Army, the practice of making a hand salute replaced that of removing the headdress in 1790, although officers wearing cocked hats continued to remove them when greeting superiors until 1868.

The British naval salute is said to have developed because the palms of sailors were often covered with tar and pitch, so Queen Victoria required that the palm be turned downwards. During the Napoleonic Wars, British naval crews saluted officers by touching a clenched fist to the brow as though grasping a hat-brim between fingers and thumb.

Hand salutes are normally carried out by bringing the right hand to the head in some way, the precise manner varying between countries and sometimes among various branches of the armed forces of the same country. The British Army's salute is almost identical to the French salute, with the palm facing outward. The customary salute in the Polish Armed Forces is the two-fingers salute, a variation of the British military salute with only two fingers extended. In the Russian military, the right hand is brought to the right temple with palm down, not quite touching; the head has to be covered. In the Hellenic Army salute, the palm is facing down and the fingers point to the coat of arms.

Small arms salutes

When carrying a sword, still done on ceremonial occasions, European military forces and their cultural descendants 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 originated in the Crusades. The hilt of a sword formed a cross with the blade, so if a 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.

In fencing, the fencers salute each other before putting their masks on to begin a bout. There are several methods of doing this, but the most common is to bring the sword in front of the face so that the blade is pointing up in front of the nose. The fencers also salute the referee and the audience.

When armed with a rifle, two methods are available when saluting. The usual method is called "present arms"; the rifle is brought to the vertical, muzzle up, in front of the 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 most 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.

A different type of salute with a rifle is a ritual firing performed during military funerals, known as a three-volley salute. In this ceremonial act, an odd number of riflemen fire three blank cartridges in unison into the air over the casket. This originates from an old European tradition wherein a battle was halted to remove the dead and wounded, then three shots were fired to signal readiness to re-engage.

By country

In the Commonwealth of Nations, only commissioned officers are saluted, and the salute is to the commission they carry from their respective commanders-in-chief representing the monarch, not the officers themselves.

In both countries, the right-hand salute is generally identical to, and drawn from the traditions of, the British armed forces. The salute of the Australian or New Zealand Army is best described as the right arm taking the path of the longest way up and then the shortest way down. Similar in many ways, the salute of the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force takes the longest way up and the shortest way down. The Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy, however, take the shortest way up, palm down, and the shortest way down. The action of the arm rotating up is slower than the action of the conclusion of the salute which is the arm being quickly "snapped" down to the saluter's side. Junior members are required to salute first and the senior member is obliged to return the compliment. Protocol dictates that the monarch, members of the royal family, the governor-general, and state governors are to be saluted at all times by all ranks. Except where a drill manual (or parade) protocol dictates otherwise, the duration of the salute is timed at three beats of the quick-time march (approximately 1.5 seconds), timed from the moment the senior member first returns it. In situations where cover (or "headdress", as it is called in the Australian Army) is not being worn, the salute is given verbally; the junior party (or at least the senior member thereof) will first come to attention, then offer the salute "Good morning/afternoon Your Majesty/Your Royal Highness/Prime Minister/Your Grace/Sir/Ma'am", etc., as the case may be. It is this, rather than the act of standing to attention, which indicates that a salute is being offered. If either party consists of two or more members, all will come to attention, but only the most senior member of the party will offer (or return) the physical or verbal salute. The party wearing headdress must always offer, or respond with, a full salute. But within the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA) no salutes of any kind are given, under any circumstances; it is always sensible to assume that there are snipers in the area who may see or overhear. In this case, parties personally known to each other are addressed familiarly by their first or given names, regardless of rank; senior officers are addressed as one might address a stranger, courteously, but without any naming or mark of respect.

Much as the British salute described above (except the palm is level with the ground, without the U.S.A. slight over-rotation of the wrist), the Canadian military salutes to demonstrate a mark of respect and courtesy for the commissioned ranks. When in uniform and not wearing headdress one does not salute. Instead, compliments shall be paid by standing at attention. If on the march, arms shall be swung and the head turned to the left or right as required.

Non-military services

Canada

Police services

The majority of police forces are taught to salute like the Canadian Armed Forces with a level palm and the middle finger aligned with the right eye, and not the brim of the hat.

The federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police salute according to the British Army tradition with the palm facing forward.

Similar salutes are used by guards of honour for non-police services (e.g. Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Transit Commission, British Columbia Ambulance Service) during funerals or ceremonial events. Due to their close ties with the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, and Royal Canadian Air Cadets are taught the Canadian Armed Forces salute.

Hong Kong

All uniform branches of the Hong Kong Police, Police Auxiliary, Police Pipeband, Fire (including Ambulance service members), Immigration, Customs, Correctional Services, Government Flying Service, Civil Aid Service) saluted according to British Army traditions until 2021. Personnel stationed with the People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong salute using the Chinese military standards and similar to those used by the Royal Navy.

Non-government organizations like Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps, Hong Kong Adventure Corps, the Boys' Brigade, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps, Hong Kong Scout and St. John Ambulance all follow the same military salutes due to their ties with the British Armed Forces.

Civilian military auxiliaries (U.S.)

Civil Air Patrol

In the United States, civilian military auxiliaries such as the Civil Air Patrol are required to salute all commissioned and warrant officers of higher rank and return the salute of those with lower ranks of the U.S. Uniformed Services (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, PHS Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps) senior in rank to them, as well as all friendly foreign officers, though military members are not required to reciprocate. CAP officers are required to salute one another though this is not uniformly observed throughout the CAP. Cadets are required to salute all CAP Senior Members and all commissioned and warrant officers of military/uniformed services.

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary requires its members to salute all commissioned and warrant officers of higher rank and return the salute of those with lower ranks; since auxiliarists hold "office" rather than "grade" (indicated by modified military insignia), all auxiliarists are required to perform this courtesy. Saluting between auxiliarists is not usually the custom, but is not out of protocol to do so.

Civilian salutes

In most countries, civilians have their own form of salutes.

Adaab

In South Asia, the adaab is commonly used as an inclusive, multi-faith greeting involving raising the right hand in front of the eyes with the palm inwards, whilst the upper torso is bent forward. The gesture is commonly associated with Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb culture and often acts as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.

Airline industry

In most airlines' standard operating procedures, the ground crew that handles the departure of an aircraft from a gate are required to salute the captain before the aircraft is released for taxi, which is normally returned by the captain. The practice originated from the same ground ceremony found in military aviation.

Clenched fist salute

The raised clenched fist, symbolizing unity in struggle, was popularized in the 19th century by the socialist, communist and anarchist movements, and is still used today by some people.

In the United States, the raised fist was associated with the Black Power movement, symbolized in the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute; a clenched-fist salute is also proper in many African nations, including South Africa.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, executing a salute is regulated for civilians according to the Constitution of Indonesia. Civilians in civilian clothing, officially, are expected to stand upright, straighten their arms down, and clench their palms with the thumbs facing forward against the thighs with a straight ahead gaze, however hand saluting in the case of performances of the National Anthem aside from flag ceremonies is encouraged. Members of a uniformed organization/institution not part of the military or police such as fire fighters, traffic wardens, municipal policemen, immigration officers, customs officers, Search and Rescue personnel, scouts, school students, etc. in uniform will implement a salute as done by members of the military and police.

This is done during the raising and lowering of the national flag, rendition or singing of the national anthem, and when saluting a person or object worth saluting.

Latin America

In Latin America, except in Mexico, a salute similar to the United States flag salute is used, with the hand over the heart.

Marching bands and Drum and Bugle Corps

Hand salutes similar to those used in the military are often rendered by the Drum Major of a marching band or drum corps just prior to beginning their performance and following completion of the performance. In all cases, the salute is rendered to the audience.

The classic "corps style" salute is often known as the "punch" type, where the saluting party will first punch their right arm straight forward from their body, arm parallel to the ground, hand in a fist, followed by the more traditional salute position with the right hand, left arm akimbo. Dropping the salute typically entails snapping the saluting hand to the side and clenching the fist, then dropping both arms to the sides.

In the US, a Drum Major carrying a large baton or mace will often salute by bringing the right hand to the left shoulder, holding the mace with the head upward,

There are occasional, more flamboyant variations, such as the windmill action of the saluting arm given by the Madison Scouts drum major, or the running of the saluting hand around the brim of the hat worn by the Cavaliers drum major.

One-finger salute

In Islam raising the index finger signifies the Tawhīd (تَوْحِيد), which denotes the indivisible oneness of God. It is used to express the unity of God ("There is no god but God").

In Arabic, the index or fore finger is called musabbiḥa (مُسَبِّحة), mostly used with the definite article: al-musabbiḥa (الْمُسَبِّحة). Sometimes also as-sabbāḥa (السَّبّاحة) is used. The Arabic verb سَبَّحَ (sabbaḥa), which has the same root as the Arabic word for index finger, means to praise or glorify God by saying: "Subḥāna Allāh" (سُبْحانَ الله).

Philippines

In the Philippines, civilians salute the national flag during flag raising and upon hearing the Philippine National Anthem by standing at attention and doing the same hand-to-heart salute as their American, Italian, Nigerian, and South African counterparts. People wearing hats or caps must bare their heads and hold the headwear over their heart (excepting religious headwear). Those in the military or in security, as well as Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, and sometimes ship or airline pilots, all perform traditional military salutes if they are in uniform and on duty; off-duty personnel do the hand-to-heart salutes. During the Martial Law years from 1972 to 1981 up to the 1986 EDSA Revolution, the "raised clenched fist" salute was done during the singing and playing of the National Anthem by some political and protest groups, especially opposition parties and activists.

People whose religious beliefs prohibit them from singing the anthem or reciting the patriotic pledge (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) are exempted from salutes but are still required to show full respect when the anthem is being sung or played by standing at attention and not engaging in disruptive activities.

Roman salute

The Roman salute is a gesture in which the arm is held out forward straight, with palm down and fingers extended straight and touching. Sometimes the arm is raised upward at an angle, sometimes it is held out parallel to the ground. A well known symbol of Fascism, it is commonly perceived to be based on a classical Roman custom.p. 2 but no known Roman work of art displays this salute, and no known Roman text describes it.

Beginning with Jacques-Louis David's painting The Oath of the Horatii (1784), an association of the gesture with Roman republican and imperial culture emerged through 18th-century French art. The association with ancient Roman traditions was further developed in France during the Napoleonic era and again in popular culture through late 19th- and early 20th-century plays and films. These include the epic Cabiria (1914), whose screenplay was attributed to Italian nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio. In a case of life imitating art, d'Annunzio appropriated the salute as a neo-imperial ritual when he led the occupation of Fiume in 1919. It was soon adopted by the Italian Fascist party, whose use of the salute inspired the Nazi party salute. However, the armed forces (Wehrmacht) of the Third Reich used a German form of the military salute until, in the wake of the July 20 plot on Hitler's life in 1944, the Nazi salute or Hitlergruss was imposed on them.

Other salutes derived from the Roman salute include the Olympic salute, used by athletes at the Olympic Games, and the Bellamy salute, used by civilians in the United States to salute the American flag. Both salutes fell out of use during WWII.

In Germany showing the Roman salute is today prohibited by law. Those rendering similar salutes, for example raising the left instead of the right hand, or raising only three fingers, are liable to prosecution. The punishment derives from § 86a of the German Criminal Code and can be up to three years imprisonment or a fine (in minor cases).

In Mexico, the Roman salute is still used during the Saludo a la Bandera (salute to the flag) and is even depicted on the 100 peso bill released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the constitution.

Scouting

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts meanwhile have their own form of salutes, which generally involve the right hand brought to either just above the right eye or to the right shoulder, with the thumb holding down the smallest finger and palm facing outwards. A variation with only two fingers is sometimes used for Cub scouts.

Thailand

Thailand has a "Flag Code" that determines how the flag should be displayed and respected. Section 7 of the "Flag Code" mandates that, upon seeing the raising or lowering of the flag at 08:00 and 18:00, general civilians should stand at attention and face the flag. In cases where only the National Anthem is heard, or one is in a vehicle, one should come to a complete stop until the National Anthem ends. Uniformed government employees are further governed by their own regulations which define whether to salute the Flag while in formation for the enlisted and the officers. The laws themselves do not specify punishment for not respecting or saluting the flag, only for using illegal flags.

In addition to the National Anthem, the Royal Anthem Sansoen Phra Barami is also given a similar respect. The laws regarding lèse majesté in Thailand do not contain punishment for merely refusing to stand or otherwise ignoring the Royal Anthem as it is not a direct threat against the royalty; it is, however, a serious criminal offense to make offensive gestures.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, certain civilians, such as officers of HM Revenue and Customs, salute the quarterdeck of Royal Navy vessels on boarding.

United States

In the United States, civilians may salute the national flag by placing their right hand over their heart or by standing at attention during the playing of the national anthem or while reciting the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, or when the flag is passing by, as in a parade. Men and boys remove their hats and other headgear during the salute; religious headdress (and military headdress worn by veterans in uniform, who are otherwise civilians) are exempt. The nature of the headgear determines whether it is held in the left or right hand, tucked under the left arm, etc. However, if it is held in the right hand, the headgear is not held over the heart but the hand is placed in the same position it would be if it were not holding anything.

The Defense Authorization Act of 2009, signed by President Bush, contained a provision that gave veterans and active-duty service members not in uniform the right to salute during the playing of the national anthem. Previous legislation authorized saluting when not in uniform during the raising, lowering and passing of the flag. However, because a salute is a form of communication protected by the Free Speech clause of the First Amendment, legislative authorization is not technically required for any civilian—veteran or non-veteran—to salute the U.S. flag. Whatever the legal status, to salute wrongly is disapproved by veterans' organizations. Civilians in some other countries, like Italy, South Africa, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Korea, Croatia, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria also render the same civilian salute as their U.S. counterparts when hearing their respective national anthems.