Pinkishe Foundation
31/10/2026
Periods work the same way in every body, but every culture has its own way of seeing them. Some traditions keep women apart during their periods. Others celebrate a girl's first period as a happy step into growing up. Many communities have both.
These customs grew from history, faith and daily life. Looking at them with respect helps us keep what brings families together, and gently question what harms a girl's health, schooling or confidence.
In many Indian homes, girls and women follow rules during their periods: not entering the kitchen, not touching the pickle, not going to the temple, sleeping apart. Some families see these days as a time of rest. For many girls, the rules feel like shame.
India also has living traditions that celebrate menstruation.
Many families today keep the joy of these traditions and leave behind the rules that stop a girl from bathing, eating well, resting or going to school.
Many faiths have rules about worship, prayer or fasting during a period. You will find them in some Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and tribal communities. Scholars and families read these rules in different ways, and practice varies a great deal. Every family decides for itself what it does at a place of worship.
From a health point of view, one thing is clear. Period blood is not dirty or impure. No girl needs to stay away from food, water, bathing, school or people during her period.
In Japan, older Shinto ideas about purity once kept menstruating women away from some religious activities. Today, many people see periods in a more practical way. Japan has had menstrual leave in its labour law since 1947, though few women use it.
In parts of western Nepal, girls and women were sent to sheds or huts outside the home during their periods. This practice is called chhaupadi. Nepal banned chhaupadi in 2017. It still continues in some places, which shows that changing a custom depends on families and communities as much as on the law.
Africa has many peoples, and their customs differ widely. Among the Dogon people of Mali, women stay in separate huts during their periods, a practice rooted in beliefs about purity.
In South Africa and many other African countries, as in India, schools and governments are working to give girls period products and education, so that they do not miss school.
Among the Navajo (Diné) people of North America, a girl's first period is honoured with the Kinaalda ceremony. It marks her step into womanhood and celebrates strength and resilience, with her family and community taking part. Some other Native American nations have their own customs, including time apart during a period, which some describe as a time for rest and reflection.
In many Western countries, periods were long a subject people did not talk about. That has changed in recent decades, with more open talk in schools, families and the media. Scotland passed a law in 2020 making period products free for anyone who needs them, in force from 2022.
Around the world, Menstrual Hygiene Day is marked on 28 May, since 2014.
In India, change is now coming from the courts and schools as well as from families. On 30 January 2026, in Dr Jaya Thakur v Government of India, the Supreme Court held that menstrual health is part of the right to life under Article 21. It gave directions for classes 6 to 12 on free products, vending machines, safe disposal, education, teacher training and annual inspection. In an order of 1 September 2026, the Court set the standard as compostable products meeting ISO 17088 read with IS 5405, and directed states towards reusable cups, period panties and reusable napkins.
No culture needs to be ranked above another. What matters is how a custom makes a girl feel, and whether it lets her stay healthy, go to school and live with dignity. Keep the celebration, question the shame, and talk openly at home.
To separate old beliefs from facts, read our menstrual myths and facts and how to bust period myths for good.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
Have a question about periods and family customs? Call our menstrual helpline on 85888 70999. It answers at any hour.
A simple printable sheet that marks your period days, your fertile window and your ovulation day. We will email it to you now.
We will send the tracker and a few gentle menstrual health emails from Khyati at Pinkishe. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Prefer to work out your dates now? Open the free ovulation calculatorMost of these rules grew from old ideas about purity, and some from the wish to give women rest. They have no basis in health. Period blood is not dirty or impure.
First-period ceremonies in parts of South India, such as Manjal Neerattu Vizha in Tamil Nadu; Ambubachi Mela at the Kamakhya temple in Assam; and Raja Parba in Odisha.
Chhaupadi is a practice from parts of western Nepal where girls and women were sent to huts or sheds outside the home during their periods. Nepal banned it in 2017, though it still continues in some places.
Yes. Japan has had menstrual leave in its labour law since 1947, though few women use it.
It is a ceremony of the Navajo (Diné) people of North America that honours a girl's first period and her step into womanhood.
Yes, many families keep customs that bring them together. If a rule stops a girl from bathing, eating well, sleeping properly, going to school or getting care, it is worth talking about gently at home.
Cultures around the world see periods in very different ways, from customs of separation to joyful first-period ceremonies. India has both, and its Supreme Court now treats menstrual health as part of the right to life. The best path keeps the celebration and leaves behind the shame.
Pinkishe Foundation is a specialist implementation organisation for menstrual health. We deliver, reliably, in schools and communities across India. Support our work with a donation.
₹1,100 gives one girl a year. Donations are eligible for deduction under Section 80G.
