greeting etiquette in brazil involves more physical contact and less personal space than in many other places of the world - brazilians usually greet with a kiss or a hug, and will frequently pat one another's shoulder or place their hand on the hand of the person they are talking with to make a point.

brazil has different social rules for greeting depending on the gender of those meeting and the region - in rio de janeiro, when two women meet, they generally exchange kisses or 'beijinhos' on each cheek - in rio, the double kiss starts by kissing the right cheek, and is simply just a light brushing of the cheek rather than an actual kiss.