Bowing (also called
stooping) is the act of lowering the
torso and
head as a social
gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in
Asian cultures but it is also typical of
nobility and
aristocracy in many countries and distinctively in
Europe. It is also used in religious contexts, as a form of worship or veneration. Sometimes the gesture may be limited to lowering the head such as in
Indonesia, and in many cultures several degrees of the lowness of the bow are distinguished and regarded as appropriate for different circumstances. It is especially prominent in
India,
Thailand,
China,
Korea,
Taiwan,
Japan, and
Vietnam where it may be executed standing or kneeling. Some bows are performed equally by two or more people while others are unequal - the person bowed to either does not bow in return or performs a less low bow in response. A nod of the head may be regarded as the minimal form of bow; forms of
kneeling,
genuflection, or
prostration which involves the hands or whole body touching the ground, are the next levels of gesture.