Pygmania

It began innocently enough. I'd wanted to download a decent Android app for logging my monthly cycle, on account of that shit don't belong in gcal no more. Can you guess what    ± 0   is code for? The app I picked turned out to be a super deluxe period tracker extraordinaire complete with a tumblr presence ( blog.glowing.com ; teh lulz) and infographics  delusions of grandeur: Dear app that tracks the whereabouts of my uterine lining: please, take yourself less seriously. You have my permission. This post is part of a series on menarche and ritualisms and more ™  (oh, my!) See the first installment, conveniently titled Menarche: Archaisms and More!

menarche (n.) 1896, from German menarche (1895), from Greek men (genitive menos ) "month" (see moon (n.)) + arkhe "beginning" (see archon ).   That is to say, the time of a woman's first menstruation. Please, let Wikipedia educate you: 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 ...

THIS is happening. http://www.yossimilogallery.com/exhibitions/2013_04-charles_freger/ It's on view through May 18th, and we really HAVE to go. This is not an option. This is not a Klimt Retrospective or a Miyazaki festival. This is an attempt to capture on film recreations of ancient European pagan festivals. Including the Krampus