Hand-kissing
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Hand-kissing is a ritual of greeting and respect. It is initiated by the person holding out her/his hand with the palm facing downward. The person kissing, bows towards the offered hand and (symbolically) touches the knuckles with his lips, while lightly holding the offered hand. Note that the lips will not actually touch the hand in modern tradition. The gesture is short lasting less then a second.
Modern usage
The hand-kiss is offered by a woman to a man (the man kissing the hand). It is a gesture of extreme politeness where the woman offering it is expected to be of same or higher social status than the man executing it. It is considered impolite to refuse an offered hand-kiss. Hand-kissing has become rare and is mostly restricted to conservative upper class or diplomats. It has largely disappeared as a common greeting habit in Europe, although it is sometimes said that it can still be observed in Austria and Poland. However, this perception may be due to clichés and not relate to reality.
History
The gesture was common in European upper class throughout the 18th and 19th century. It started to disappear in the 20th century. It is very uncommon today. In its modern form, a man kissing the hand of a woman, the hand-kiss originated in the Spanish court ceremonies of the 17th/18th century and became common practice in European upper class in the 18th and 19th century. The gesture probably originated as a formal submission or plead of allegiance of man to man. The man would show his submission by kissing the signet ring (a form of seal worn as a jewelry ring), the symbol of authority of the dominant person.
See also: Greeting habits, Salutede:Handkuss