When you went through menarche (first menstrual cycle), was it a positive experience that was celebrated by you or your family? Or was it a negative experience (shame, embarrassment, fear, etc)
When I went through my first menstrual cycle it was during the summer, I was away from home visiting with my grandmother in Louisiana. I was about to start the 6th grade and it was no big deal to me, but my grandmother was excited and told me I was now a ‘lady’! She got on the telephone and commenced to telling everyone she spoke with within the next few days that her granddaughter had gotten her period!! I was somewhat embarrassed because I am a very private person and I did not believe EVERYONE needed to know that I had started my period. She gave me 10 cents to go to the corner store (Hudson’s) to buy whatever I wanted…that was the most exciting part for me! At the time, I did not understand why she gave me money but now, several hundred years and one daughter later…I now understand that menarche is a milestone in a young girl’s life that should be welcomed and celebrated. This initial change in a young girl’s life marks the journey of many health changes regarding her body and it is the perfect opportunity to begin a never-ending open discussion about any and everything. Wikipedia’s website listed (see below) how different cultures in past have had rites of passage for a girl experiencing menarche:
Rites of passage
- In the U.S.A., rites of passage are rare since girls are taught to keep aspects of sexual development private. However, some families change that by giving the girl a card of congratulations, or even a candle lit ceremony.
- The Navajo Indians had a celebration called kinaalda (kinn-all-duh). Girls run footraces to show strength. A cornmeal pudding is made for the tribe to taste. The girls who experience menarche wear special clothes and style their hair like the Navajo goddess "Changing Woman".
- The Nootka Indians thought menarche was a time for a physical strength test. The girl is taken out to sea and left there. She is to swim back and when she returns to the shore of the village, she is cheered.
- The Mescalero Apaches consider their menarche celebration the most important. Each year, an 8-day-long ceremony is celebrated in honor of each girl who began their period that year. The first 4 days include of feasting and dancing. Boy singers recount the history of the tribe each evening. The other four days are a private celebration where girls have a private ceremony, reflecting on passing into womanhood.
- In Australia, the Aborigines treated a girl to "love magic". The women teach her of the female powers and the physical changes marking womanhood.
- When a Japanese girl gets her period, the family celebrates by eating red colored rice and beans.
- The Ulithi (oo-lith-ee) tribe of Micronesia call a girl's menarche kufar (koo-faar). She goes to a menstrual house where the women bathe her and recite spells. The girl will go back to the menstrual house when her next period comes.
- In Nigeria in the Tiv tribe, four lines are cut in her abdomen, being thought to make her a woman and more fertile.
- Sri Lanka notes the time and day. An astrologer is contacted, who studies the star's alignment at the noted moment. This is done to predict the girl's future. Her house is prepared for a ritual bathing, where the girl is scrubbed all over by the women of the family. She then is dressed in white. Printed invites for a party are sent out, where the girl receives money and special gifts.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (2007). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Menarche. Retrieved February 6, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menarche
6 comments:
Great Post. Thanks! It is very interesting to see the behaviors and beliefs of other cultures around the world.
I am very impressed with your research on other cultures. From your post I think I will stick to our more subdued response though.
Maybe it was your grandmother’s background and culture that instigated the personal celebration for you. Your sweet story should be a part of every young girl’s life. Grandmothers can be such a supporting figure in our daughters lives. Her reactions offered you first, the recognition of womanhood and then the celebration that caused you, even today, to feel special. Don’t you wish every young girl could spend a summer with a grandmother like yours. Memories sure are wonderful.
Keep up the good work. You sure do get your work done early for class!
It is so intersting to read of your positive experience with this issue, maybe because mine was the polar opposite. I think it is so great that your family was so happy and proud because it is a milestone in life! Great post!
Katie Addison.
I was excited when I got my period, but then I was embarrassed to tell anyone even my mother. I don't think I really even told her until a year later. I still can't figure out why I didn't tell her. My little sister who is in the 7th grade got her period about a year and a half ago, and I told her that she was a woman now, and boy did that go to her head. She still tries to challenge me in every conversation even though there is a huge age gap. The information you provided on menarche in other countries was very informative. I think it is a good thing for a woman to celebrate this event in her life.
I too agree with the fact that a woman's cycle should be celebrated for the fact that it changes and impacts a girl's life into a "lady", I could only visualize how having a daughter could stress that. I was scared and excited when I first got my period and I could relate to your since of privacy with your grandmother and family. The rites of passage facts are really incredible and remarkable.
It is nice to know that your family celebrated that milestone. Not every family is that supportive. It is also nice to see your research of other cultures beliefs.
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