A deliberate attack on patriarchal traditions that are held within my community and religion. (1)
- Supriti Parajuli
- Apr 25, 2022
- 8 min read
Periods: the taboos behind the natural phenomenon of menstruation and where they came from, as well as why this superstition is so deeply rooted within our society (fear of the afterlife due to our decisions made while alive? lack of understanding or education?)
Period problems, ugh. If you have ovaries you know what I'm talking about. The dread of having to bleed out of a hole for at least 4 days every month until your body decides to suddenly stop and then you're left to deal with hormonal imbalance problems, I'm sure we can all relate, right ladies? However, this natural process that literally every woman goes through in life, is considered a topic of taboo in my culture (and a lot of other cultures). For some reason, a woman is considered impure when she bleeds. Women are kept out of their homes, forced to uphold practices like Chaupadi (1), are not allowed to enter kitchens or even look at the men in their family. Menstrual blood is the only blood that is spilled without violence, yet it is the blood that everyone argues over, that everyone seems to have a problem with, especially the men. Why speak on this when you don't even bleed? (insert passive aggressive emoji here).
I want to analyze some texts regarding this topic. In Hinduism, we have a lot of scriptures that teach us about our faith and how to follow it. A series of cookbooks, essentially, to turn yourself into the "ideal Hindu". Despite there being so many texts on Hinduism that anybody anywhere can read, people seem to prefer to be taught everything by their elders, which can lead to a lot of "oh okay cool" and not a lot of "but why is it like this?". In fact, scriptures don't really matter to a lot of the newer generation folks anymore, as they would rather use science and common sense to defend their arguments. A lot of the traditions I know of, have been taught to me by my parents and grandparents. I would ask them a lot of "but why is it like this? why can't we use white flowers during this ritual? what will happen if I enter the kitchen when I'm on my period?" and the most common answer I would get is "this is just how it is, how it as been for centuries".
The early manuscripts of the Vedas never particularly mention putting any form of prohibition on menstruating women from entering places of worship and participating in religious rituals. The ban on temple entry and labeling women as impure strictly goes against the written principles of the Vedas. Let's just talk about another taboo topic while we're at it: in the Upanishads, another religious text, sexual sadhana is mentioned in the "Raja-Yog" which talks about how sexual intercourse is actually important while a women is bleeding. There are even tantric rituals such as the Yoni Puja, which is literally worship of the vagina, where the Yoni (vagina) is viewed as a symbol of the cosmos. The Yoni is considered as the entirety of where the universe comes from (the process or art of birth, essentially). You can read more about rituals that view menstrual blood as sacred here, and more about the Yoni rituals here. Another interesting fact: most lower-caste groups within the community do not associate any taboos with menstruation, and these taboos are mostly present within the "upper-caste" groups. But why? We'll get to that.
So even after texts have stated how pure this process is, why is this topic so taboo amongst the "upper-caste"? To understand this, we have to understand the idea of Manusmriti (2). The taboos that are largely present within our society today take root in Brahminical Hinduism, which labels the process of menstruation as a "disease" and attaches the idea of impurity to it. Manusmriti is essentially a code of conduct, constructed around the year 200 CE, written by Brahmins for the Brahmin caste and other "upper-caste" people including Kshatriya Kings (see the problem?). It originated when yagna-based Vedic Hinduism switched to temple-based Puranic Hinduism, and is a part of a series of documents known as the dharma-shastras. Vedas are called shruti which are heard and are timeless, while Manusmriti is a smriti which is recollected, and talks about the work of man which is bound to change with time (kaal), place (sthan), and people (patra).
"The origin of Manusmriti is attributed to Brahma, the creator, who passes it on to the first human, Manu, who passes it on to the first teacher, Bhrigu, who passes it on to other sages. Since its composition, Manusmriti was seen as the foremost dharma-shastra, overshadowing all other law books." (2)
So as you can see, Manusmriti is a centuries long ordeal, originating from the Vedas which encourages healthy practices and even sexual intercourse. But, due to a patriarchal society, where men make the rules about women's bodies, these sacred beliefs have turned into taboos. Women are scared to even bring up the topic of periods in front of their families, let alone get help. There is definitely a lack of education surrounding this issue, as a lot of misunderstandings can be cleared if women AND men are given proper sex education and anatomical education. There is also a case of superstition that is deeply rooted within the society, which is worse than the lack of education. The superstition goes something like this: many pandits say "if you step inside a temple while on your period, this means you have disrespected the Gods with your presence, and henceforth you will go to hell for it". How does a pandit know if we will go to hell? Has he been to hell? The Vedas don't mention anything about going to hell. But a woman in my community won't question the pandit's words, she will just say "ok" and never step inside a temple while she is bleeding. The women in my society, especially those that are a couple of generations older, were taught that a Guru or a Pandit holds all of the knowledge about religion that we will ever need to know. These women often forget that they have the power to question their beliefs, but are too afraid to do so. They think "what if this Pandit is right and I actually go to hell?" and let their fear over this superstition take over.
All in all, the whole taboo regarding menstruation is based purely on patriarchal values, with documents written by Brahmin MEN in order to control the women around them. Sadly, a lot of regions in South Asia (I speak for the country of Nepal as I originate from there) still believe in these practices. Things like Chaupadi are still practiced (even if they are illegal) in less developed regions of the country. There is still a lack of education, and most importantly there is a lot of backlash from our own families when we try to question centuries-long traditions. As older generations are replaced by newer people and ideas, there is hope that this taboo will no longer be a taboo.
Footnotes
Fasting: the festival of Teej and why women fast for their husbands but husbands don’t for their wives.
The Teej festival is one of the most celebrated holidays in Nepal. I've written a separate blog on Teej, so click here to read more about what it is. People prepare months ahead for Teej, and by people I mean women because this festival is for the females. Although Teej is celebrated by the women in Nepal, it feels a lot more like the festival is FOR men. Literally all of the fasting that women do during this time, all of the rituals, every single prayer, is for the men. Teej is largely celebrated by MARRIED women in Nepal FOR the longevity and good health of their husbands. Even unmarried women fast during this festival in the hopes that they get good husbands in the future. Women are supposed to fast all day at home: no water, no food (because the concept of going on a hunger strike to please God to give men longer lives completely makes sense -- I say this with as much sarcasm as I muster). While men can eat anything at any time. On top of that, the attire: women are supposed to wear red (as this color is considered auspicious in married life) and look their very best while their respective husbands laze around. From afar, no matter how much I respect my culture and want to participate in the festivals and traditions, a lot of these traditions have begun to feel like the celebration of sexist and patriarchal values. Girls, from a young age, are taught to do rituals and fast during festivals like Teej so that they can grow up and be accepted by a good family, getting rid of the burden on their parents. This mindset is especially present in the rural, less-educated parts of Nepal, as that is what they have always done.
Let's get into the history of Teej a little bit, so you can get a taste of where exactly it came from. According to Hinduism and Hindu mythology, Goddess Parvati was a great admirer of Lord Shiva before she became a goddess, and had a keen desire to marry him. Goddess Parvati observed fasts and prayed to Lord Shiva throughout her 108 reincarnations so that he would be happy and marry her. She was reborn 108 times to become a form in which Lord Shiva would accept her. Satisfied with her dedication to him, Lord Shiva fulfilled her wishes and married her (1). Lord Shiva is the "ideal" husband for a lot of women, as these women are taught from a young age to fast so that they can receive a husband like him in the future.
Hence, it is believed that celebrating and worshipping Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on this day will bless a woman with marital bliss, good health of husband and children, and harmony in married life. This auspicious day is to celebrate Goddess Parvati and her true dedication towards Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati had to be born 108 times until Lord Shiva is finally satisfied with her. This teaches girls that they have to try again and again to gain a good husband. That they might not be good enough the way they are and will have to do years of penance and fasting in order to be a "good candidate" for a wife. This also teaches us that men don't have to go through trials and tribulations in order to become the "ideal husband", that they are already "ideal husbands" and have an array of women to choose from, that society already accepts them for the bare minimum that they do.
I don't mean to sound condescending at all, I really do respect my culture at its roots. By all means, Teej is a beautiful festival, a chance for the women to gather and eat good food, to dance together, share sorrow and happiness with each other. What I have a problem with is SOCIETY'S view of Teej and HOW it is portrayed to the newer generation of people. Instead of having the women pray and fast for her HUSBAND'S long life and good health, why don't both the husband and wife take a fast together? Instead of teaching your daughters that this festival is for her future husband, tell her this festival celebrates the essence of womanhood and the growth of her relationship with others and herself. Indulging in the patriarchy for what it has always been does not send a positive message to the newer generation of people, as they will grow up to continue these traditions the same way they have been taught. We cannot shame the student for receiving the education, we can only shame the teacher for providing it; what you provide is essential.
Men have to stand up for their women in this case, and then we can expect good changes in future generations. Men taking a stand and fasting with their wives, sends a message of collaboration and silences the patriarchy that we have grown up in. Equality is best achieved when the privileged take a stand for the growth of the oppressed.
Footnotes
Nice Informative post.
Thanks, Yoglica