Ambubachi Mela 2023: Why Is Menstruation Still A Taboo In India When It Is Celebrated As A Festival?

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On one hand, we celebrate, and worship the menstruation of a Goddess and on the other hand, we consider periods impure and dirty.

Menstruation is a phenomenon or a process in a woman of discharging blood or vaginal bleeding that occurs as a part of a woman's monthly cycle from puberty until menopause, except during pregnancy.

However, it has always been surrounded by taboos and myths in India and across the world. Even though there is a festival dedicated to the menstruation of a Goddess, women are excluded from many aspects of socio-cultural life simply because they are on their periods.

Ambubachi Mela 2023: Why Is Menstruation (Periods) Still A Taboo In India When It Is Celebrated As A Festival?

For those unaware, every year in India, Ambubachi Mela is observed when the monsoons are in full swing in India. It is a four-day festival that takes place in the Kamakhya Devi Temple in Guwahati, Assam and it is celebrated to acknowledge the yearly menstruation course of the Goddess Kamakhya.

This year, the Mela will commence on 22 June and it will formally begin by closing the doors of Kamakya Temple in the evening and conclude when the temple door will reopen on 26 morning. There is a belief that the goddess will undergo her menstrual cycle. This occasion is also known as Ameti or the Tantric fertility festival. On the 4th day, the deity is bathed to reclaim limpidness and numerous rituals are performed.

Then why menstruation is a hush-hush topic even today?

According to UNICEF, every month, 1.8 billion people across the world menstruate and millions of these girls, women, transgender men and non-binary persons suffer and face stigma, harassment and social exclusion during menstruation due to gender inequality, cultural taboos, poverty, discriminatory social norms, and lack of basic services like toilets and sanitary products. Due to this, many women are not able to manage their periods in a way that is healthy and dignified.

Menstruation Doesn't Make A Woman Impure: Answer Lies In Chemistry Of Period Blood

Being unaware of menstrual hygiene is in itself one of the biggest threats to the health of women and at times being aware of menstruation doesn't help because there is no availability of sanitary products. This can affect an adolescent girl's self-esteem and confidence, says a study conducted by Whisper and UNESCO.

Coming back to the Ambucha Festival, Goddess Kamakya is considered extremely powerful and it is believed when she is menstruating, she is cleansing and revitalizing the entire Earth, which in practice is Her body itself.

Just because the blood comes out from a woman's vagina, we cannot call it impure, say, health experts. If we delve further and study the chemistry of period blood, studies have found out that the blood a woman menstruates is just as clean as the venous blood that comes out from every other part of the body and it is harmless as long as you do not have any bloodborne diseases.

Imagine this blood came from an organ that is hygienic enough to potentially sustain the development of a fetus. So, how can it be unclean, toxic and impure? It is simply blood.

Menstruation Is A Human Issue Not A Woman's Issue

Just because the blood comes out from a woman's vagina, we cannot call it impure. Everything around the period is related to hygiene and not purity. It is just like blood from any other part of a body and when it is out, the blood starts decomposing, therefore, it emanates an odour. During menstruation, women are also at a greater risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) due to dampness.

Religious taboos and cultural norms on menstruation are often compounded by traditional associations with shame, embarrassment and evil spirits surrounding sexual reproduction. Therefore, in certain parts of India, women are still not allowed to participate in normal life when they are menstruating.

According to a study 'Menstruation related myths in India: strategies for combating it', culturally in many parts of India, menstruation is still considered to be dirty and impure. The origin of this myth dates back to the Vedic times and is often been linked to Indra's slaying of Vritras. For, it has been declared in the Veda that guilt, of killing a brahmana-murder, appears every month as menstrual flow as women had taken upon themselves a part of Indra's guilt.

Relating the menstruation issue with the menstruation festival, it is interesting to note that the main attraction for lakhs of devotees is the unique 'prasad' or the offering to the deity and it is served with a small bit of red coloured cloth which is supposedly moist with the menstrual fluid of Goddess Kamkhya. This prasad is highly considered auspicious and is believed to bring good luck and charm in people's lives.

It is said that the festival aims at worshipping feminism, honouring and acknowledging a female in her truest form, then where did we fail as a society when it comes to women?