Hello, How Are You?

Hello, How Are You?

Why do we always say "hello" when we answer the phone?

It is usually followed by a return hello, often linked to “How are you?”

In many cases, we don’t really want to know how the person is; it is just a habit. A custom that has developed over many years. So much so that next time, try “Hello, how’s your bum,” when you answer. A lot of people won’t even notice.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. He suggested using “ahoy, ahoy” as a greeting for calls. (Thank goodness that didn’t stick!).

‘Hello’ was incorrectly associated with Bell as the greeting on his first phone call. The post claimed he called his fiancée, Margaret Hello. His fiancée was Mabel Gardiner Hubbard, and he called his associate, Mr Watson, and not his fiancée.

It was actually coined by Thomas Edison in the 19th century. Edison advised using this greeting word to indicate that the person on the other end wants to speak. We still use it today.

What about Goodbye?

“Goodbye” originates from the term " Godbye.” This, in turn, is a contraction of the phrase “God be with ye.” Over the years, people have swapped “good” for “God.” This created phrases like “good day” and “good evening." It was first recorded by an English scholar in 1573.

Words have been changed over history to have the exact opposite meaning. For example, the word “nice” meant "silly" or “ignorant.” “Egregious,” which now means “outstandingly bad,” used to mean “remarkably good.”

Over the years, cultures have created many strange traditions.

Here are five to blow your mind.

#1 Baby Jumping in Spain

Baby jumping is a traditional Spanish festival dating back to 1620. Each year, the village of Castrillo de Murcia in Burgos celebrates Corpus Christi. It is a Catholic feast.

A man dressed as a devil jumps over babies lying on mattresses in the street. The ritual is thought to remove evil spirits from infants. It also aims to protect them from bad luck.

#2 Bull Ant Initiation

Bullet ants live in the lowland rainforests. They are found in Central and South America, including the Amazon. They are one of the largest ant species in the world. They are said to deliver the most painful sting in the world, leaving victims in agony for 24 hours or more.

The Sateré-Mawé young men intentionally suffer the stings. Boys as young as 12 put on gloves with bull ants woven inside, their stingers pointing inward. Admitting the pain of bullet ant stings isn’t seen as strong if you want to be a leader.

#3 Finger Chopping

For women of the remote Dani tribe in Indonesia, the emotional pain of losing a loved one is not enough. When a loved one dies, women in the remote tribe have the top half of their fingers cut off. This ritual is meant to keep spirits away.

Apart from the obvious chopping, people chew at the knuckles and then use a piece of rope to cut off circulation. Another option is to tie up the joints in order to stop blood flow to the area, and the dead part of the finger falls off.

#4 Doesn’t pay to be single in Denmark

In Denmark, it is a tradition to cover anyone who is still single on their 25th birthday with cinnamon. Friends often tie the birthday person to a lamppost or pole and pelt them with the spice.

If they are still unmarried at 30, they are covered in pepper instead.

#5 Carrying your wife

It used to be the thing to carry your wife over the threshold when you were married. In Finland, it is now a competition. It started when young men raided villages. They would take the women they wanted or steal someone else's wife.

Wife carrying in Finland has turned into a competition. Competitors run while carrying their partners. Most teams usually have a man carrying a woman. But today, there are no strict rules about gender or marital status.

It has now spread to competitions in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Germany, the UK, and more. This also includes areas beyond Finland, such as Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia.

It’s a strange world that we live in, Aunty Jack!

Till next time,

Calvin