Why do men in Asia grow a nail on their little fingers and what does it mean (21 photos)

And, by the way, not only in Asia. I'm sure you won't paid attention to the deliberately long nail on the little finger of some representatives of the strong half of humanity.





When you see such an "accessory" for the first time, you catch yourself on thoughts that ... well, probably, the young man simply forgot / did not have time / did not wanted to cut that nail.



Or he simply did not have scissors at hand! But when a long pointed nail catches the eye more than once or twice, you involuntarily think: “Maybe he is needed for something?”



Like many other ambiguous things in our life, a long nail on the little finger has become an integral attribute of the male images from ancient times. And on this account there is immediately some interesting theories.



According to one of them, the custom is to have a long pointed nail on the little finger, originated in China, where a similar element of the male image distinguished people of noble birth from laborers, peasants and so-called rice farmers.



Judge for yourself, is it possible to dig in the ground with such nails Or, shall we say, cleaning? Of course not. Therefore, long nails (and not only on the little finger) were a hallmark of the aristocracy or wealthy class. Actually, from Chinese culture, this tradition migrated to other peoples of Southeast Asia.



Another theory says that the tradition of growing long the nail on the little finger has its roots in Indochinese superstitions - ancient Indian, Khmer and Thai. According to the Thai "science" of reading fate on the hand, in other words, palmistry, the little finger was called the "finger wealth", since it was he who was considered a measure of luck, skill earning money and communication skills.



If the little finger was not long enough (its tip at did not reach the line of the beginning of the third phalanx of the nameless finger), which meant that its owner might not count on good luck and untold wealth. He is just mediocrity... with a very mediocre little finger. And vice versa: owners of long fingers were considered lucky in life.



Therefore, some Thai men specially grew long nails on the little fingers, so to speak, to fix injustice of fate, "reach out" to the line of the third phalanx ring finger and achieve the blessing of higher powers!



In addition to Asian theories of the origin of the tradition to grow nail on the little finger, there are also European ones dating back to the 17th century. The first in Europe this “accessory” was introduced into fashion by the nobles, who used the nail for purely practical purposes - with its help opened mail envelopes sealed with sealing wax.



It is clear that in offices and offices these manipulations were done with the help of special knives, but in the "field" conditions, when the necessary tools were not at hand, a sword was used ... or a long nail with a pointed tip.



By the way, opening letters with a sword was not only inconvenient, but and dangerous. Still not a bottle of champagne, and it was important to keep letter safe and sound! Therefore, aristocrats specifically grew a longer nail on the little finger of the left hand, and with its help printed correspondence.



Why just the left? Because in the right almost always holding a weapon! By the way, the left-hander has no problems with such a nail either. arose: during a duel with swords, the main role was taken by index, middle and ring fingers.



Fashion for a long nail in aristocratic circles remained until the beginning of the 20th century, until the letters began to be sealed with glue, not sealing wax. But in France in the 18th century, a long the nail on the little finger performed another, more delicate function.



At one time, a loud knock on the door was considered a sign of bad luck. tones, so well-bred nobles carefully scratched with a fingernail, to announce your visit. Probably such attempts "To cross" took a lot of time, but the fact remains fact.



In the 20th century, the philosophy of the long pinky nail underwent drastic changes. This distinctive feature was no longer the privilege of aristocrats and wealthy citizens, but rather, on the contrary, became a sign of a person engaged in something criminal.


In Soviet prisons and colonies such the nail distinguished the authorities from ordinary inmates. "Thieves in law" and all sorts of "positioners" defiantly grew a nail on their little fingers, in order to show everyone around who is in charge here.



Well, in the USA, in the 70s of the 20th century, in the midst of narcotic "boom", a long nail on the male little finger was used to separate cocaine and heroin into portions. Major drug dealers and simple "hucksters" found this solution simple, but very elegant.



Frame from the film "The French Connection"

In addition, with a long nail it was as simple as possible "sniff" a portion of the powder. In fact, this is the way to use subsequently gave the name to the measure of weight of cocaine - "nail" (nail).



Today, most of the men who let the nail on little finger to grow for your own pleasure, they simply consider it fashionable, stylish, youth, without investing any additional meaning.



Well, in Asian countries, some young people not only grow nails, but also decorate them in every possible way: figuratively file, paint and decorate with rhinestones.