Moutza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A 'moutza' (μούντζα) is the most traditional gesture of insult among Greeks which consists of extending all fingers and presenting the palm towards the to-be-insulted person.
An even more offensive version is achieved by using both hands to double the gesture, smacking the palm of one hand against the back of the other, in the direction of the intended recipient. The closer the gesture is to the other man's face the more threatening it's considered.
[edit] Origin
The origin of the gesture can be traced back to the Middle Ages, particularly in the penal code of Byzantium, whereby a chained criminal paraded around town would have his face spread with cinder to his ridicule. Cinder in medieval Greek was called moutzos (μούντζος). And, because cinder was wiped on the person's face first by collecting it in the palm and then by extending open the fingers, the gesture itself became insulting, to be known as moutza, after the name of the material applied.
[edit] Bibliography
Phaedon Koukoules, " Life and culture of the Byzantines", addendum 5, 1986
[edit] External links
Although it is very unlikely that there is awareness and/or use of this gesture abroad, anyone who is interested in learning how to show off a 'Moutza' can have a look at the following link, which shows Alan Greenspan, former Fed President, giving one...,not bad at all. http://argoul.blog.lemonde.fr/argoul/images/greenspan_1.jpg
