By Tanisha Das
Menstruation is a natural phenomenon, part of the reproductive growth of women. Yet, it is surrounded by taboos and myths, excluding women from their day-to-day lives. A process, reflective of how the female body works, is considered “impure and dirty” across cultures in India. In fact, the taboo has existed for ages and continues to date. They affect women both mentally and physically, leading to ill-treatment of women. The source of these myths can be traced back to mythologies.
The origin of the myths dates back to the Vedic times, when Vritra withheld water from the people. Translated, his name means “obstacle” – true to his name, he refused to share the waters of the world. Indra killed him with thunder, releasing the water. While one version says he was a serpent, another claims Vritra was a dragon. In the context of menstruation, it is said that Vritra was a Brahmana. This is where the caste system enters the picture and overshadows the battle between him and Indra.
Guilt over the killing of a Brahmana was then taken upon by the womankind as menstrual cycle, lending a degree of justification over notions of impurity – the spilling of supposed demon blood. Although it was Indra who killed Vritra, women bore the suffering for his actions. Here, we can observe how women became victims and tortured for the deeds of the men.
At present, we can still see the consequences of all the myths. Women are barred from entering the kitchen and prohibited from offering prayers or visiting temples, both in rural and urban areas.
Ironically, every year people from across the country visit the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam, during the Ambubachi Mela – this festival marks the yearly menstrual course of Goddess Kamakhya. Visitors worship the blood of the Goddess, yet are disgusted by the periods of their own daughters, sisters and wives.
I have witnessed the celebration of the festival and saw the crowd while crossing the temple. Apart from the festive decorations and food, people from different places and organisations were waiting to receive the blessings of the Goddess. People I knew were willing to attend the festival – they were, otherwise, ashamed to utter “period” out loud.
This glaring contradiction is a reminder – while we celebrate women as Devi-Shakti, we make a taboo out of menstruation.
Another myth involves odour – that the body emits a smell during menstruation that turns preserved food bad – leading to a perpetuating, vicious cycle of superstitions. There are stories of how women bury their used pieces of cloth during periods to prevent them from being used by evil spirits. Many girls stop physical activities such as sports, rooted in the belief that exercises aggravate dysmenorrhoea. The reality, however, is otherwise because physical activity gives menstruating women relief from symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and bloating, and also causes the release of serotonin.
That whatever a menstruating woman touches gets ruined is a common myth. If she touches a cow, it gets infertile; if she touches water, it gets polluted. Unfortunately, such belief systems have turned periods into an isolating experience for women.
Modern-day myths also exist around sanitation. Even though many activists visit small villages to raise awareness and distribute sanitary napkins, for instance. Girls from rural areas refuse to use sanitary equipment and use old clothes, leaves and even ashes. That it can cause genital infections is hardly talked about. They are brainwashed to choose “prestige” over their health.
All over India, different communities have different myths and rituals regarding menstruation when a young child gets their first period. Some celebrate it, whereas others isolate the girls.
For example, in the Assamese community, when a girl hits puberty, a ritual called Tuloni Biya is organised. It is a ritualistic symbolic wedding that is performed a few days after her first menstruation. The mock marriage of one’s daughter to a banana tree signifies the girl attaining adulthood and the potential to bear a child. She isn’t allowed to eat anything till day four and is confined to a bed in a room. Men are not allowed and none can touch her. A big feast is organised and people are invited – as if a real wedding.
Similarly, in the Bengali community, certain rituals are followed during the first period. Coming from a Bengali family, I experienced them too. The child has to eat vegetarian food. On day five, she is given new clothes to wear, fed a good meal with five food items and then “purified”. It is nothing but a one-day pampering. One could call it compensation for lifelong suffering.
Non-binary and trans people too experience menstruation – for them, period shaming is another fight, given they are constantly questioned about their gender and genitals by society.
These taboos and myths have drowned women in shame. Before they even get to know their bodies, they are made to follow the rules and rituals, with no form of explanation – one that has a generational impact. Most mothers are shy to have “the talk” with their daughters and just pass on the rules and myths blindly without logical reasoning. They are not aware of the biological facts and hygiene and leave their daughters to suffer just as they did.
That older women believe them shows the importance of awareness. Right education leads to questioning long-held traditions and teaches critical thinking. With cinema and ads boldly saying the word, ‘periods’, there is a wave of meaningful progress.
Interestingly, this was not always the case – many Indian cultures considered menstruation auspicious and blood was even served up as an offering to goddesses. Over time, myths have led to the demonisation of the “impure, bleeding woman”. The taboo is a way to control women and the narratives around the female body.
Education begins both at home and in schools. For change to be positive, sustained efforts should focus on sex education – one that will make young girls aware of their body and their rights to fight against meaningless traditions, centering on menstruation taboos and myths.