Some epochs and cultures have had very elaborate greeting rituals.

Some epochs and cultures have had very elaborate greeting rituals, for example, greeting of a sovereign.

Conversely, secret societies have often furtive or arcane greeting gestures and rituals, such as a secret handshake, which allow members to recognize each other.

In some languages and cultures, the same word or gesture is used as both greeting and farewell.

Examples are "Good day" in English, "Aloha" in Hawaiian, "Shalom" in Hebrew, "Namaste" in Hindi and "Ciao" in Italian.