As for the first photo: Joining together the thumb, index finger and middle finger, is how the Eastern Orthodox (or atleast the Greek Orthodox, but I think it extends to the whole of the Eastern Orthodox church) hold their right hand when crossing themselves. The three fingers symbolize the Trinity.
More rarely it's seen in occasion of such oaths, where it's the equivalent of the raised hand in America. It's less often seen than the raised hand.
When I took my B.Sc. degree a couple years back they instructed us to hold our right hand up with either the three fingers joined or just a straight palm -- IIRC there was a good number which chose the straight palm instead of the more religious "three fingers". Anyway this year they didn't give instructions (I suppose they assumed we all remembered from last time :-) so it seems most everyone followed what most everyone else is doing. So all I saw were the three fingers.
Except mine, which isn't seen clearly in the photo, but like a good agnostic I simply raised it. :-)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: Spiffy robes!
Date: 2005-01-13 07:33 am (UTC)As for the first photo: Joining together the thumb, index finger and middle finger, is how the Eastern Orthodox (or atleast the Greek Orthodox, but I think it extends to the whole of the Eastern Orthodox church) hold their right hand when crossing themselves. The three fingers symbolize the Trinity.
More rarely it's seen in occasion of such oaths, where it's the equivalent of the raised hand in America. It's less often seen than the raised hand.
When I took my B.Sc. degree a couple years back they instructed us to hold our right hand up with either the three fingers joined or just a straight palm -- IIRC there was a good number which chose the straight palm instead of the more religious "three fingers". Anyway this year they didn't give instructions (I suppose they assumed we all remembered from last time :-) so it seems most everyone followed what most everyone else is doing. So all I saw were the three fingers.
Except mine, which isn't seen clearly in the photo, but like a good agnostic I simply raised it. :-)