'It is one of the measures that is on the table.'
Romania's Martisor festival marks the beginning of spring when talismanic strings and flowers are handed out, often from men to women.
But the government has passed on a message to people urging them to hand over the flowers and talismans without the accompanying kiss."Let's give the flowers but not the kiss," said Nelu Tataru, state secretary at the health ministry.In Poland, one of Europe's most Catholic countries, the faithful are allowed to take"spiritual communion" instead of consuming the communal bread -- or it can be taken in the hands rather than the mouth.
The faithful have also been asked not to dip their hands in holy water when going in and out of the church and instead make the sign of the cross.In Iran, a video has gone viral showing three friends meeting -- hands in their pockets, with two of them wearing masks -- tapping their feet against each other as a greeting.
A similar video in Lebanon shows singer Ragheb Alama and comedian Michel Abou Sleiman tapping their feet against each other while making kissing noises with their mouths.Some educational institutions in New Zealand have temporarily abandoned the Maori greeting known as the hongi -- which involves two people pressing their noses together.
Wellington polytechnic WelTec said that instead of staff greeting new students with a hongi, its welcome ceremony would instead include a waiata, or Maori song.
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