Socialising with the Austrians 65You will notice that when walking or jogging about,
Austrians will not go out of their way to greet you. This can
be rather puzzling as they do it automatically in the shops.
It is also understood that a younger person should greet
a mature person, and not the other way around. This can
change dramatically in villages or smaller cities around
Austria, which tend to be friendlier and less inhibited.
Shaking Hands
Shaking hands is another important gesture for first meetings.
Generally, the woman offers her hand to the man, and the
older person to the younger. Handshakes are firm, with direct
eye contact, and you usually say your last name without
prefacing it with a greeting.
At a party or a dinner at a friend’s house, wait until the host
introduces you before you go around introducing yourself. The
host will generally introduce you by your last name. While
being introduced, you shake each person’s hand accordingly. At
large parties, the introduction seems to take forever. However,
Julie finds it to be a wonderful way to break the ice.
Kissing Each Other’s Cheek
Once you have become close to someone and are on a first
name basis, you may kiss each other’s cheek in greeting.
If you are a woman, you have the privilege of kissing both
women and men on each cheek: first right, then left. A man
would only shake the hand of another man. If unsure what to
do, go for the handshake and wait until the Austrian makes
the next move.
Body language isn’t excessive after kissing or shaking
hands. Hugging is not done except with close family
members or with a friend that you haven’t seen in a long
time. Gesticulating to put a point across is rarely done. Simply
put, the Austrian way is reserved and calm unless driving on
the Autobahn (freeway)!
Küss die Hand
A very Austrian male greeting is the one called Küss die Hand.
It means to kiss the back of the hand, but the man never