In the West, artists bowing at the end of a performance began with opera in Italy during the 1820's. If the audience kept clapping after the curtain fell, it meant they really liked the show so the artists would come out and bow to show they felt honored by the praise. The custom soon caught on and artists all over Europe started bowing at the end of their show and it became a tradition.
People in some Asian countries do bow at meetings and other social events and there are rules to determine who bows first and even how low you should go; but in the West bowing wasn't as widespread: it was mostly used with royalty or at very formal settings, so the custom was mostly lost as the rules of etiquette evolved and became less "affected" over time.
Overtis t1_j1qdqrc wrote
Reply to ELI5 why people bow after a performance? by WalterTheMoral
In the West, artists bowing at the end of a performance began with opera in Italy during the 1820's. If the audience kept clapping after the curtain fell, it meant they really liked the show so the artists would come out and bow to show they felt honored by the praise. The custom soon caught on and artists all over Europe started bowing at the end of their show and it became a tradition.
People in some Asian countries do bow at meetings and other social events and there are rules to determine who bows first and even how low you should go; but in the West bowing wasn't as widespread: it was mostly used with royalty or at very formal settings, so the custom was mostly lost as the rules of etiquette evolved and became less "affected" over time.