Hand-kissing
The hand-kissing is a gesture of Courtoisie, Politesse, Respect, admiration or of devotion of a man towards a lady, vassal towards its suzerain or of a child towards his relative or his beautiful-parent.
This gesture consists in for the man being inclined deeply, to even fold humbly the knee and the nape of the neck in front of the lady and with him Baiser the Main most respectfully possible as a sign of Hommage.
The traditional hand-kissing “with the Frenchwoman” should be practiced, in theory, only in one closed place (meeting, reception, etc, never in the street). It is always the man who takes the initiative, a woman never not having to tighten the hand to this end. Formerly, only the married women or the unmarried of important position or old women could receive this homage. The man, by delicately taking the hand of the lady, pretends to pose his lips there while leaning. This hand is normally not gantée apart from the evening dresses.
In certain countries, the hand-kissing belongs to the demand for Mariage. In this case, promised in marriage initially kneels in front of his/her future mother-in-law in order to ask him her daughter in marriage officially. If this one grants its permission to him, it tightens its hand with kissing to him that his/her future son-in-law carries then respectfully to his lips. Then, been engaged a knee puts out of ground in front of its promised in marriage and asks him its hand. If this one is granted, been engaged alliance with the finger slips to him then and, always knelt, kisses the hand and alliance to him. This gesture thus symbolizes its respect and its devotion to its lady becoming his wife.
In certain cultures of South Asia and South-eastern in particular, the hand-kissing is practiced in other contexts: by children towards their parents, grandparent or professors, by the daughter-in-law towards her mother-in-law, even by the wife towards her husband.