That is to say, the time of a woman's first menstruation.
- When a Japanese girl has her first period, the family sometimes celebrates by eating red-colored rice and beans (sekihan). The color of blood and the red of sekihan are not related*. All the rice of ancient times of Japan was red. Since rice was precious in ancient Japan (usually, millet was eaten), it was eaten only during the celebration. Sekihan is the tradition of an ancient custom. The celebration is kept a secret from extended family until the rice is served.
- In Australia, the Aborigines
treat a girl to "love magic". She is taught the ways of womanhood by
the other women in her tribe. Her mother builds her a hut to which she
confines herself for the remainder of her menses. The hut is burned and
she is submerged in the river at the end of menstruation. When she
returns to the village, she is paired with a man who will be her
husband.
- In the United States, public schools have a sex education
program that teaches girls about menstruation and what to expect at the
onset of menarche (often this takes place during the 4th grade).
Historically menstruation has been a social taboo and girls were taught
about menarche and menstruation by their mothers or a female role model.
Then, and to an extent now, menstruation was a private matter and a
girl's menarche was not a community phenomenon.**
- The Ulithi tribe of Micronesia call a girl's menarche kufar.
She goes to a menstrual house, where the women bathe her and recite
spells. She will have to return to the menstruation hut every time she
menstruates***. Her parents build her a private hut that she will live in
until she is married
- The Nuu-chah-nulth
(also known as the Nootka) believe that physical endurance is the most
important quality in young women. At menarche the girl is taken out to
sea and left there to swim back.****
*: THANKS WIKIPEDIA EDITORS. GLAD TO KNOW.
**: These can be found nearly in apposition in the original article, in a subsection entitled "Rituals of Learning." Sometimes, I think Wikipedia is literally trolling us for teh lulz. Or that we are both secret Wikipedia editors in some sort of fugue state.
***: This makes a monthly visit to a mikvah seem leisurely
****: ALL TEH LULZ
