Every time you clap your hands to show appreciation, you're participating in a tradition that goes back thousands of years—but it didn't start as a simple way to say "good job." The earliest documented references to applause as a sign of approval come from ancient Rome in the 3rd century BC, where playwright Plautus would have actors step forward after performances and say "Valete et plaudite!"—Latin for "Goodbye and applause!"
But the Romans didn't just clap. They had an entire ritualized system of applause to express different degrees of approval: snapping fingers and thumbs, clapping with flat or hollow palms, and even waving the flaps of their togas. Political leaders would carefully measure how long and loud the applause lasted after their speeches to gauge public support. If the crowd really loved you, they'd applaud loudly for an extended period. If they didn't, the silence spoke volumes.
Then things got manipulative. In 4th century Athens, theaters began hiring "claqueurs"—professional clappers paid to applaud, laugh, or cry at specific moments to influence audience reactions. Competition between comedians was so fierce that swaying judges with paid applause became standard practice.
The system reached absurd heights when Roman Emperor Nero established an entire "school of applause" and traveled with a claque of 5,000 knights and soldiers whose only job was to cheer for him at performances. By 17th century France, the claque had become a highly organized industry—you could pay for different services including professional laughers, criers, and people who would talk up the performance to other audience members.
The practice became so widespread that composers like Gustav Mahler, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn began requesting that their works be performed with no breaks between movements specifically to avoid applause—which is why clapping between movements at classical concerts is still considered rude today.
Interestingly, when these pieces were originally written, composers like Beethoven and Mozart would immediately repeat sections if the audience applauded enthusiastically during technically difficult parts.
So why did clapping specifically become the standard? Compared to vocalizing approval through speech, clapping is easier, louder, more anonymous in crowds, and you can't tell someone's age, gender, or origin from their clap. What started as one of many ways Romans showed approval became the universal language of appreciation—all because ancient politicians realized they needed a way to measure public opinion from massive crowds.
