Greeting Etiquette

When greeting locals, it is usual to greet everyone there, beginning with the elderly and using formal local greeting phrases. Handshakes are a typical greeting. "Dumela Ma" is the most popular verbal greeting for a lady and "Dumela Ra" for a male. Even if you don't know them, it's polite to always welcome them. Different tribes welcome in different ways.

When greeting an elderly person in the north, you must kneel down and offer them both of your hands if they are seated. If they are not seated, simply bow slightly and extend your two hands to them. In some places, you can greet someone by shaking their hand. In some circumstances, men and women will kiss each other on both cheeks. Once you've made a friend, a handshake at the start of a talk may turn into holding hands for the rest of the conversation. This is more common among individuals of the same gender.