Mason’s handshake, ten things you may not know

Mason’s handshake has been shrouded in mystery for centuries. Many non-Masons are under the false belief that there is a standard secret handshake that they use to identify each other, this is not true. Below are ten things about the Masonic handshake that you may not know.

• There is no single handshake that is recognized by all Masons because each Degree of Masonry has its own handshake.
• Each degree of Freemasonry has its own handshake.
• The handshakes used are not as secret as you think. They are described graphically in publications that are widely available.
• Giving a Masonic handshake by a non-Mason is considered impolite.
• Most of the original masons worked with stone. When these early stonemasons were apprenticed to a Master Mason, the Master Mason taught them a handshake that reflected the level or degree of apprenticeship the Mason had acquired. A Mason traveling for work could give this handshake to another Master Mason and the recipient would know that the apprentice earned a certain degree in Masonry and learned the handshake from another Master Mason.
• Handshakes and their subtle use in public situations have helped Freemasons identify with each other in countries that have been hostile to Freemasonry for different periods over the years.
• The first handshake a new initiate learns is the entered apprentice handshake. This handshake is done by the new Mason pressing his thumb on the first knuckle joint of the Mason he is shaking hands with. The other mason then presses his thumb against the apprentice mason’s knuckle. This handshake is commonly known as the Booz.
• A Brother who has reached the Craft Fellow Grade uses a handshake known as The Jachin Handshake. This handshake is made by the one giving by pressing his thumb firmly on the second knuckle of the mason he receives. The receiving Brother then responds to this by pressing his thumb against the corresponding knuckle of the giver’s hand.
• A Master Mason uses handshakes like The Tubalcain and Ma-Ha-Bone. The Ma-Ha-bone is also known as the Master Mason’s strong grip.
• There are many videos and images on the Internet showing famous celebrities and politicians giving various purportedly Masonic handshakes.