InLiberia, the snap handshakeorfinger snap is a gesture of greeting, in which two people shake hands in the conventional Western way, but end the handshake with a mutual press of the fingers that creates a "snap" sound.[1]
Apocryphally, the custom is attributed to the Americo-Liberian population of freed slaves, who created the gesture to contrast with slave owners' practice of breaking slaves' fingers.[2]
During the 2014–15 Ebola epidemic, handshaking in Liberia was curtailed, leading a BBC commentator to note that avoidance of handshaking was detrimental to the established custom of the Liberian handshake.[3]
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| Friendly gestures |
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| Gestures of respect |
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| Salutes |
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| Celebratory gestures |
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| Finger-counting |
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| Obscene gestures |
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| Taunts |
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| Head motions |
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| Other gestures |
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| Related |
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