Prostration has been practiced in Yorubaland as a form of greeting and sign of respect for the elderly ones before the arrival of any foreign religion. In a traditional wedding ceremony, it is overwhelmingly interesting to see group of friends of the bride-groom observing prostration in front of the bride's families as a sign of request for their daughter. Due to social exposure and of course, no one expects you to fall flat on the public road or on a dirty ground whenever you meet an elderly yoruba person, that is why half-way prostration by men and half-way kneeling by women is now mostly common among the yorubas which they find easy to do whenever and wherever you meet them.
Today, prostration/bowing has been tagged as an act of worship by some religiously mis-guided Yorubas. According to their foreign religious belief, prostration is only meant to worship God and no other person deserves it, but that is according to Jewish and Arabic religious faith, according to Yoruba culture, it is an act of greeting to show respect for the elders while women kneel down. If prostration means worship in Yorubaland, it means female should as well prostrate like their male counterparts while greeting the elders.
'' Elders '' in this sense does not really mean an old man of 50, 70 or 90 years of age, once the person is older than you, you may prostrate as a sign of greeting. Kids have been prostrating for me long time before I was 20 years of age and up till today I, myself, prostrate for the people older than me. If I may get your distorted belief right, does that mean every Yoruba person is considered as a god?
Bowing down is also found in many cultures as signs of greetings around the world up till this present time, especially in the Asian countries. In Japan, people bow as a sign of greetings, not only to the elders but to anybody of any age. Likewise in China, they bow for the elders, even, the more the bow, the older the person you are greeting.
By Raymond Ajeigbe
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