Australian aboriginal groups still practice segregation at menarche, and prepare the girl for her return to the community by first immersing her in a ritual bath, then decorating her body with red ochre and white clay before the formal procession home.
As a scholar of the environment and indigenous peoples, I have studied how Native Americans find religious meaning in the natural world. Indigenous people often view menstruation as a time when girls and women are spiritually powerful. It is also believed to be a time when young women can have visions.
The name comes from author Anita Diamant's bestselling novel “The Red Tent” and refers to the biblical Jacob's tribe and its women, who must, according to ancient law, take refuge during menstruation and births.
Perhaps prehistoric women did not have their period as often as nowadays. In times of lack of food, during pregnancy and the lengthy period of breast feeding, they didn't get bleeding. As sanitary towels they could have used supple bags of leather or linen, possibly filled with moss or any other absorbing material.
In ancient times, a woman's cycle was honored and celebrated, while her bleeding phase was ritualized. Women of all ages came together in sacred circles and moon lodges. Getting your moon (period) was seen as a beautiful gift. Bleeding would be a time for resting, journeying inwards, and tuning in to your intuition.
A woman is thus considered a mustahadha if she continuously releases vaginal blood and continues to bleed after having already completed her usual period of menstruation. This is how Istihadha is seen to be vaginal bleeding caused by reasons other than menstruation or childbirth.
In European and North American societies through most of the 1800s, homemade menstrual cloths made out of flannel or woven fabric were the norm–think “on the rag.”
The Victorian Period (And Beyond)
From the 1890s to the early 1980s, people used sanitary belts, which basically were reusable pads that attached to a belt worn around the waist – and yes, they were as uncomfortable as they sound.
The Keeper a.k.a The Wild Woman
The Wild Woman is one of the most well-known cycle archetypes, both as a symbol of empowerment and the 'irrationality' of women. She represents the Inner Autumn or premenstrual stage of the cycle and in terms of life stage, she aligns with our perimenopausal years.
Blood that is dark purple or blue in color generally indicates high estrogen levels. In addition to its dark color, purple or blue blood usually also contains clots and lasts longer than a week. If left untreated, high estrogen levels can lead to the development of endometriosis, fibroids, or ovarian cysts.
Purple Moon Cycle
The waning phase takes place when the full moon is transitioning into the new moon. What is this? Similar to the pink moon cycle, this is symbolizing a transitional part of your life. The difference is instead of moving into light (the full moon) you are moving into darkness (the new moon).
Cultural norms and religious taboos on menstruation are often compounded by traditional associations with evil spirits, shame and embarrassment surrounding sexual reproduction.[2] In some cultures, women bury their cloths used during menstruation to prevent them being used by evil spirits.[8] In Surinam, menstrual ...
South and South East Asia. In some portions of South Asia, there is a menstrual taboo, with it frequently being considered impure. Restrictions on movement, behaviour and eating are frequently placed. According to a 2018 study, more than one-third of girls across South Asia do not go to school during menstruation.
Women viewed menstruation as a 'time for cleansing'. It is generally understood that Ancient Egyptians used menstrual 'loin cloths' and throw-away tampons, probably made by papyrus or a similar grass (during the Roman era the tampons were probably made out of cotton instead).
In the third book of the Pentateuch or Torah and particularly in the Code of legal purity (or Provisions for clean and unclean) of the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11:1-15:33), it is stated that a woman undergoing menstruation is perceived as unclean for seven days and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening (see ...
A woman's monthly bleeding, otherwise known as “courses”, was believed to be the womb ridding itself of excess blood.
Before the disposable pad was invented, most women used rags, cotton, or sheep's wool in their underwear to stem the flow of menstrual blood. Knitted pads, rabbit fur, even grass were all used by women to handle their periods.
Between the 1890s and the 1950s, the average age at menarche – the medical term for first menstruation – fell from 17 to 12.
'Period' comes from the Greek words 'peri' and 'hodos' (periodos) meaning 'around' and 'way/path'. This eventually turned into the Latin 'periodus' meaning 'recurring cycle'. The English term 'period' to describe menstruation began in the early 1800s.
In 1931, Earl Haas, a physician in Colorado, developed a cardboard applicator tampon that was meant to absorb menstrual blood. He made the tampon inside the applicator from tightly bound strip of dense cotton that was attached to a string for easy removal.
Istihadha - Abnormal bleeding, i.e any bleeding that does not meet the fiqhi definition of hayd. When experiencing istihadha, what's prohibited during hayd does not apply (a woman resumes praying, fasting, etc.).
Menorrhagia is heavy bleeding, including prolonged menstrual periods or excessive bleeding during a normal-length period. Metrorrhagia is bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between expected menstrual periods. Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation. Oligomenorrhea refers to infrequent menstrual periods.
If menstrual bleeding continues longer than fifteen days, it is considered as istihada and the woman should perform a ghusl, fast, pray and her husband can have sexual intercourse with her.