In Tibet sticking the tongue out is considered a polite way of showing respect. The caption on this photograph explains: 'Sticking the tongue out as a Tibetan greeting began when Buddhists wanted people to know that they were not Bon-Po (pre-Buddhist religion) as they were supposed to have black tongues. Pink tongues were stuck out as proof of being Buddhist. The further the tongue out, the greater respect'.

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Size: 3500px × 4970px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: asia, asian, buddhism, buddhist, china, chinese, custom, greeting, historical, history, image, images, mahayana, pictures, religion, tibet, tibetan, tradition