Bowing in European Cultures
In European cultures — aside from bows done by performers on stage such as at the curtain call — bowing is an exclusively male practice, and females instead perform a related gesture called a "curtsey" or "curtsy." The depth of the bow is related to the degree of respect or gratitude. In European courtly circles, males were expected to "bow and scrape" (hence the term "bowing and scraping" for what appears to be excessive ceremony). "Scraping" refers to the drawing back of the right leg as one bows, such that the right foot scrapes the floor or earth. Typically, while executing such a bow, the man's left hand is pressed horizontally across the abdomen while the right is held out from the body.
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