bow

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Bowing after a performance.
Bow, Japan

The bow is a human posture that usually expresses respect.

In the Asian region, the bow is used when greeting; in particular, it is not customary to shake hands there . In many Asian martial arts, the opponents bow before and after the fight out of respect for each other, when entering the dojo and in front of the training or fighting area.

Occurrence in western culture

Scratch foot

Bowing as a greeting has become rare in Western culture . In certain situations, however, it represents a common, appropriate gesture of showing respect. It is reserved exclusively for men - also known as "servants" - women curtsey . In the field of performing arts , all bow actor , sometimes at premieres in theater and film directors , after a performance in front of the applauding audience to the applause answer. The depth of the bow is proportional to the degree of respect or thanksgiving.

At funerals , it is common for undertakers to bow to the coffin or urn of the deceased in various situations, for example before they are lifted and before they are lowered into the grave. Here the bow expresses respect for the deceased person and is accompanied by other respectful gestures such as removing the hat .

Bowing in the liturgy

In the Christian liturgy , bows are provided at various points and occasions. In the Orthodox churches , a bow is part of the humility gesture of the metany or the sign of the cross . In the Roman Catholic Church one bows to the altar during worship , when pronouncing certain words and liturgical formulas and when giving certain handouts to the liturgical services .

Scratch foot

In aristocratic and court circles, the so-called scratching foot used to be required: one arm was pressed in front of the upper body while bowing, the other was held slightly away from the body and at the same time one foot was pulled back over the floor, creating the scratching sound.

Based on the scratching foot, the expression abkratzen established itself in German colloquial language as a synonym for to die .

See also

Web links

Commons : bowing  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: bowing  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ herder.de/Gottesdienst/Lexikon
  2. ↑ Duden. Origin dictionary. 3. Edition. Bibliographisches Institut & FA Brockhaus AG, Mannheim 2001, ISBN 3-411-04073-4 , p. 450.