Menstruation in different cultures

The Mystery of Blood

Menstrual blood has always been incomprehensible to the male-dominated world. It is cyclical blood that does not kill. It was believed to be the result of Eve's snakebite. Its very sight aroused fear. A bleeding woman was cursed, her presence defiled the surroundings. The Maori of New Zealand believed in a mysterious matter (kahukahu) that menstrual blood was supposed to contain. It could harm men. The Tinneh Indians of the Yukon in Canada, on the other hand, believed that menstrual blood contained the element of femininity. Men were therefore advised to avoid contact with it so as not to be infected with this femininity!

In Europe, back in the 1920s, scientists were looking for a substance in menstrual blood that supposedly caused food to spoil and crops to wither. What's more, they found this substance! It was menotoxin - a poisonous substance that oozes from the skin of menstruating women. It was believed until the 1950s, when research was repeated and the myth was debunked.

Prohibitions and restrictions

For centuries, there have been (and still are in many cultures) many prohibitions concerning menstruating women and those around them. In Greece, for example, among the conservative Orthodox population, it is believed that a woman on her period cannot receive Holy Communion. Among the Roma, men cannot touch objects that a menstruating woman has touched, they avoid contact with her and, contrary to appearances, this is due to respect for women, it gives them a sense of power. In Japan, menstruating women are excluded from temples, because menstrual blood is associated with death.

The Book of Leviticus (according to the Millennium Bible) says: "If a woman has a discharge, that is, her monthly bleeding from her body, she shall remain in her uncleanness for seven days. Whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening." This is why for Orthodox Jews, a woman who is menstruating is niddah, or "separated." For seven days after her menstruation ends, she should not have sex with her. She may approach her husband only after bathing in a bathhouse, that is, after ritually getting rid of impurity. In some Jewish families, there is still a custom associated with the first menstruation - the girl is then lightly slapped on the cheek by her parents in order to drive away evil spirits. From that moment on, the young woman can marry and bear children.

In India, the menstrual taboo is still deeply rooted – according to local beliefs, getting close to a menstruating woman takes away energy, strength and wisdom. Women on their period are not allowed to enter Hindu temples. The basis for this exclusion is the Vedas – ancient Hindu scriptures. According to them, menstrual leakage is a manifestation of the god Indra's guilt after murdering Vrtra – the demon of drought. Menstruation distances women from all activities, especially preparing food. Returning to the family and daily duties is possible only after ritual purification. The isolation of women, often by driving them out to a barn, where they experience menstruation only among animals, comes from an old Hindu tradition called chhaupadi. ​​In December 2016, a fifteen-year-old girl became the victim of this tradition, who died as a result of being kept in a poorly ventilated barn during her period.

In Hawaii or in Africa (for example, among the Dogon tribe in Mali), special huts have been built for menstruating women for centuries, far from villages. Among African tribes, during menstruation, it is forbidden to eat meat, fish or salt, to touch children, and even - attention - to speak. In addition, a woman cannot scratch herself during menstruation. If an insect bites her, she must use a stick.

The Finno-Ugric people, i.e. the peoples of northeastern Europe and western Siberia, add to the list of restrictions a ban on looking at the sky, which they associate with paradise.

Marking

A motif present in many cultures is the marking of menstruating women. This can be done by painting their lips (Australia), faces (South America) or entire bodies (Africa) red. Australian Aborigines, on the other hand, have a custom of cutting their penises during rituals to induce bleeding and to resemble menstruating women.

A little bit of magic

In Africa, there is a fairly strong belief in the magical properties of menstrual blood. According to the Asanti people, women's blood can protect against evil. That is why the first period is a great event - the girl's body is decorated with patterns, a festival is held in her honor - these are games and ceremonies lasting even several weeks.

Menstrual blood also has positive properties in the tradition of the Cree Indians of Canada and among the peoples of Borneo. Here, menstruating women are invited to sit on the ground and let it soak.

In Afghanistan, it is believed that a woman on her period cannot visit women in labor, because her shadow falling on the child will bring illness to the newborn. However, menstrual blood itself is believed by some to have healing properties.

The Mae Enga ethnic group of New Guinea uses menstrual blood against their enemies as a poison.

Menstruation in Europe

There is a stereotype of menstruation as something shameful that should be hidden. Various countries are attempting to de-taboo menstruation. Campaigns are being undertaken to encourage free bleeding, or the free flow of blood during menstruation. Attention is being drawn to the physiological nature of menstruation. Grassroots social campaigns are being organised to provide hygiene products for women affected by menstrual poverty . These are attempts to fight for a dignified experience of monthly bleeding, but in a completely different dimension than in the cultures described above.

But is there blood?

Biology is similar all over the world. Today we know the mechanisms of menstruation, we know where and why we bleed. Unfortunately, depending on the culture, some women will think "I'm a woman, so I bleed, it's normal", while others will think: "I'm a woman and I bleed, shame". And in the latter case, the blood does not only remain on the underwear, but also on the psyche...