Menstruation celebration

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A menstruation celebration, first moon party, or period party, celebrates menstruation. [1] [2] [3] Different cultures and communities across the globe celebrate Menarche (first period).[ citation needed ] This practice is followed by Apache, Ojibwe and Hupa tribal communities from different parts of North America, Ulithi tribe from South Pacific region, Japan, Africa, and India among others. [4] [5]

Contents

United States

In 2020, Parents writer Christine Michel Carter researched the celebration of first moon parties in the Black community in the United States. [6] Most girls get their first menstrual cycle between 12 and 13 years old, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The age of menstruation onset is slightly younger for Black girls due to health disparities, increased material hardship, and levels of stress. For Black girls, the first moon party is a rite of passage that instills values, principles, and knowledge of a young girls' self. [6]

India

Different states/regions and communities in India celebrate menstruation.

Odisha [7]

The festival in Odisha is called Raja Parba or Mithuna Sankranti. It is a four-day festival which celebrates the girl's transition into womanhood. The first-day is called Pahili Raja, second Mithuna Sankranti, third Basi Raja and the last day is called Vasumati Snana. It is believed that Goddess Earth also menstruates during the first three days of the festival. Prior to day of the celebration, called Sajabaja , entire house is cleaned and on the first three days of the festival the spices are ground on the grinding stone. While all the preparation is going on, women enjoy during the festival and wear new clothes, jewellery and put alta (a red/pink coloured liquid applied on feet and hands) on their feet. On the last day of the festival, women go to the grinding stone and bathe in turmeric. The festival is completed with the ritual bath of Goddess Bhudevi.

Assam [8]

In Assam, the menstruation celebration is called Toloni Biya/ Tuloni Biya/ Nua-tulon/Santi Biya. The word Biya in Assamese means marriage, thus, Toloni Biya is a ceremonial symbolic wedding of the girl after her first periods. This ceremony (symbolic wedding) is celebrated with great enthusiasm, and the purpose of this celebration is to educate the girl about reproduction and menstrual cycle. The parents of the girl and neighbours pray for the well-being of her reproductive health.

In addition to the celebration, the ceremony also secludes the girl and imposes restrictions on her movements and food preferences, such as; being brought home in a with a veil (face covering), no food other than bananas, confined to a room, no contact with men including family members.

Apache Sunrise Dance Ceremony

The Sunrise Dance ceremony is a celebration of menarche by the Apache tribal community in Arizona and Mexico region. [9] [10] The community members and leaders assist the family in carrying out this ceremony. The community starts preparing for this ceremony months before. A day prior to the ceremony, the girl takes a sweat bath, meanwhile the male relatives and a medicine man (a healer) make the items that will be required during the ceremony. In the evening, these items are presented to the girl.[ citation needed ]

The ceremony takes place over a period of four-days and in eight stages. During this ceremony, the girl wears the traditional Apache attire and dances, which signifies female strength. The friends and family also participate and sing traditional songs and the girl also receives a massage and the ceremonial blessing from the medicine man and other people.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Menarche is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female humans. From both social and medical perspectives, it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pongal (festival)</span> Tamil Hindu harvest festival

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makar Sankranti</span> Hindu festival that reveres Surya (sun god)

Makar(a) Sankranti, also referred to as Uttarayana, Makar, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of 14 January annually, this occasion marks the transition of the sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). Since the sun has made this transition which vaguely coincides with moving from south to north, the festival is dedicated to the solar deity, Surya, and is observed to mark a new beginning. Many native multi-day festivals are organised on this occasion all over India.

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<i>Quinceañera</i> Celebration of a girls 15th birthday

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture and menstruation</span>

There are many cultural aspects surrounding how societies view menstruation. Different cultures view menstruation in different ways. The basis of many conduct norms and communication about menstruation in western industrial societies is the belief that menstruation should remain hidden. By contrast, in some hunter-gatherer societies, menstrual observances are viewed in a positive light, without any connotation of uncleanness.

This article lists the traditional festivals and other cultural events in the Odisha region of India. Odisha celebrates 13 festivals in 12 months as the saying goes Bāra Māsare Tera Parba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuakhai</span> Festival in India

Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha in India. Nuakhai is observed to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the calendar it is observed on panchami tithi of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. This is the most important social festival of Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand, where the culture of Western Odisha is much predominant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambubachi Mela</span> Annual Hindu mela (gathering) held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritu Kala Samskaram</span> Hindu rite of passage for young female

Half sari function or Langa Voni Telugu: లంగా ఓణి, Pavadai Dhavani Tamil: பாவாடை தாவணி, Langa Davani Kannada: ಲಂಗ ದಾವಣಿ. In South Indian Hindu tradition, the Ritu Kala Samskara ceremony or Ritushuddhi is a ceremony performed when a girl wears a sari for the first time. It is the celebration of a girl's rite of passage after menarche or period, and she is deemed a young woman both physically and spiritually. Langa voni is traditional clothing for unmarried girls in South India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raja (festival)</span> Festival of Odisha

Raja Parba, also known as Mithuna Sankranti, is a three-day-long festival of womanhood celebrated in Odisha, India. The second day of the festival signifies beginning of the solar month of Mithuna from, which the season of rains starts.

Here is a list of glossary of Culture of India in alphabetical order:

"Bahra tayegu" or "bahra chuyegu" is a rite of passage in the Newah community of Nepal, involving girls aged 7 to 13 practicing self-discipline for 12 days. Throughout this period, women within the community impart knowledge about womanhood and its various challenges to the young participant. Contrary to the misconception that a girl is wedded to the sun god in a marriage ceremony, it's important to clarify that this is inaccurate. Instead, the ritual is more focused on the practice of self-discipline. In Nepalbhasa, the term "bahra" originates from the word "Bareyagu," which translates to restraining oneself or practicing self-discipline. During this ritual, adolescent girls undergo a 12-day period of seclusion in a dark room. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception where the term "gufa" is inaccurately used to describe "Baarhaa." It is essential to clarify that Baarhaa should not be referred to as "gufa". In a softly lit room, shielded from sunlight and devoid of any male contact, the crash course commences. Its purpose is to equip her for the transition to a new phase where she must conduct herself as a woman. These preparations constitute a crucial process, ensuring she is ready to navigate the world beyond her parents' home when she embarks on living with her spouse's family. The final day is marked with a bhwe and celebrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menstruation hut</span> Room or structure for menstruating women

A menstruation hut is a place of seclusion or isolation used by certain cultures with strong menstrual taboos. The same or a similar structure may be used for childbirth and postpartum confinement, based on beliefs around ritual impurity. These huts are usually built near the family home, have small doors, and are often dilapidated, with poor sanitation and ventilation, and no windows. The Nepali version, the Chhaupadi, is probably the best-known example, but cultural attitudes towards menstruation around the world mean that these huts exist, or existed until recently, in other places as well. The use of menstrual huts continues to be a cause of death, from exposure, dehydration, snake bite, smoke inhalation, and so on. The use of these huts is illegal in some places.

<i>Period. End of Sentence.</i> 2018 film by Rayka Zehtabchi

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Period poverty</span> Economic justice issue related to female periods

Period poverty is a term used to describe a lack of access to proper menstrual products and the education needed to use them effectively. The American Medical Women's Association defines it as "the inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and educations, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuloni biya</span>

Tuloni biya, also referred to as Xoru Biya, Nua-tuloni, or Santi Biya, is a traditional Assamese Hindu ceremony that marks the attainment of puberty in girls and celebrates the girl's transition from childhood to womanhood. The Tuloni biya, which translates to "small wedding", is accompanied by a multitude of rituals and traditions, all rooted in the concepts of purity and separation.

The marriage in pre-Columbian America was a social institution present in most cultures and civilizations inhabiting the American continent prior to 1492. The perceptions and conceptions at a social level varied, with wedding ceremonies often carrying a predominant religious and spiritual significance. Some unions were even regarded as sacred and could be either monogamous or polygamous. These relationships mainly operated within a predominantly patriarchal system and were typically associated within the same caste, when such a social organization system existed.

References

  1. ↑ "Would You Ever Throw Your Child a Period Party for Their First Cycle? Because That's a Thing Now". 14 December 2019. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Blood! Yay! Period parties are now a thing". 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Would You Plan a 'Period Party' for Your Daughter?". Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  4. ↑ "Period celebrations around the world | ellaOne®". ellaone UK. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  5. ↑ Brink, Susan (11 August 2015). "Some Cultures Treat Menstruation With Respect". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 "The Empowering Way Black Moms Are Celebrating Their Daughters' First Periods". Parents. Archived from the original on 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  7. ↑ "This interesting festival of Odisha celebrates menstruation". The Times of India. ISSN   0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  8. ↑ "Assamese Toloni Biya, Tuloni Biya, Nua-tuloni-biya, Santi Biya". www.assaminfo.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  9. ↑ "Arizona: White Mountain Apache | PWNA Resources". www.nativepartnership.org. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  10. ↑ "Apache Sunrise Ceremonial". www.crosscurrents.hawaii.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.


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