Philadelphia, September of 2002.
“OhMyGod”, was the greeting my mummy blurted out instead of her customary, “Hi, mone”. “When did THAT happen?”
“Two weeks ago, Ma.”
“But…why?”
I shrugged. “Felt like it.”
“You know that’s not something a Christian girl should do,” she replied, eyebrows undulating with disapproval and consternation.
“Only Hindu girls can get their noses pierced?”
“Only Hindu girls SHOULD get their noses pierced.”
“Pashu tatti. It’s a cultural thing, Ma. Not religious.”
My mother snorted before telling me where I could store my opinions on culture and religion. “It IS a Hindu tradition. Maybe even a Muslim one. Try it with someone dumber than your Mother, edi.”
Anne Martin, the principal of Durban Girls High School in South Africa should have called my mom when she needed an expert opinion on whether piercing one’s nose is a “culturally-based rather than religious” practice. 😉
Who is Anne Martin? Why should she defer to my almighty Mom? Read on:
Sunali Pillay, 16, took her case to the Durban Equality Court claiming that she was being unfairly discriminated against by her Durban Girls High School which was not allowing her to wear a nose ring in accordance with her religious beliefs.
The teenager’s mother, Navaneethum Pillay, told magistrate A C Moolman that the nose ring was not considered jewellery according to the Hindu religion, but rather a family tradition and a cultural practice followed when a girl reaches puberty…
The school principal, Anne Martin, told the court wearing the nose ring was in direct contravention of the school’s code of conduct.
She said the school’s code of conduct was clear on body piercing and expert opinion obtained confirmed that nose rings were “culturally-based rather than religious.”
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Thanks FOBish, for this tip. We ABCDs love you too. 😉
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O’ya Bula-
Clicking that photo should take you to Flickr, where you can see my defiled nose clearly. 😉
I suppose, Malayalee Hindu girls, if they are not from border regions of Karnataka, don’t have the tradition of piercing the nose. So piercing nose is un-Hindu for Malayalee Hindu girls just as non-eating beef is un-Hindu for general Malayalees. That being the case, if a Malayalee Christian girl gets her nose pierced it only shows she is confirming her faith in difference to Malayalee Hinduism.
May I add another ticklish trivia?
The large nose ring worn at weddings in both Hindu and Muslim ones in many parts of India sometimes(in certain communitites) stands for a sexual symbol of marriage. The nose studs dont really stand for the same thing.
The “nath utarvai”( taking off the the nath) was the symbol of the exchange of gifts that occurred on the wedding night. These gifts obviously went way beyond just a ring.
and toe rings apparently,(I have heard unconfirmed reports) press on a pressure point that arouse a woman sexually. Hence many families would not allow girls to wear toe rings before getting married.
Talk about hidden meanings, although beautiful ones.
so THAT’S why my uncle was horrified at my toe rings!? w00t, the things you learn on SM. 😀
yeah, I’d asked you about that after I saw something on your blog, ANNA. I wore toe rings for years, before I was married and every once in a while some auntie at mandir would ask me where my husband was… I only realized after I got married and we did the suhaag (bridal prep including various accoutrement that make a woman beautiful & ready for marriage) that the bichue (toe rings) are for married women only, at least where we’re from (UP)
I don’t know about sexual stimulus; they sure do pinch in pointe shoes…
ugh…you DID ask…when i posted the BlogHer shot of my sandals and iBook…i forgot to answer. 🙁 i am teh suck.
i wear them if they’re cute. i don’t know about any of the kerala traditions wrt them. and yes, they’re a BITCH in pointy shoes. owww.
at least now that comment volume on diary is down/controlled, i’ll probably be less likely to let stuff like that fall through the cracks, since you were obviously dying for me to tell you…what ended up being nothing, essentially. 😉
wow, i never had an issue when i got a nosering. my mom got one, even though her mom didn’t have one. then, in highschool, i thought, “yes, i am ready.”
i never associated with class. i didn’t even know it was a class/caste thing.
and toe rings- i have heard the same reports. only married women wear it cause of it’s sexual potency. i can’t wait to wear ten toe rings…each on one toe. 🙂
if by intentional, you mean that India Sari Palace only sells ready-made blouses w/elbow-length sleeves, then yes. totally intentional. 😉
i purchased that pretty pink sari (and the bangles and obv, the blouse) four hours before the event; there was no time to sew a matching blouse from the “blouse piece” AND get back to the suburbs AND get ready. that eye makeup took some time! 😀
i have my nose done , and i do not see the big thing about it. if you do not like me or the thing in my nose do not look at me . for i do not cair what you frake think .
Wow! I just “happened” upon this site in search of sonali gold jewelry and decided to check it out! How very informative! As for the toe rings – I’ve always passed them up but since i’ve found out the true reason for wearing them – I will be buying 10! My background? I’m African American, born, bred, schooled in the USA and is non-judgemental! Live and let live!
I go to a lame catholic school and i got my nose pierced. I had a band aid on it but i still got called down to the office and was given the “option” to take it out right there or go home. Since it was bullshit, because all the white girls get away with it, i refused to take it out and went home. I had to eventually take it out because they wouldnt let me come back to school and graduation was right around the coner so it wasnt worth it. Damn white people
i live in america and im half white and half pakistani i have my nose pierced and i’m musilum it’s so a cultural thing not religious at all so i was at school today when the principle comes up to me and is like “You’re not allowed to wear appendages in school.” in this really authoritive voice and have no idea what an appendage is so i’m like “what?” and he’s like “That thing in your nose.”(He has a PhD or whatever doesnt he know how to say nose ring?)so im going to wear it and i’m soo angry and they’re soo depriving me of my constitutional right of freedom of expression. oh yeah he used appendage in the wrong context how stupid can he get?
I agree. Tell him you’ll remove it when he learns not to abuse the English language. 😉
what side do muslim girls have their nose pierced on?
what side do muslim girls have their nose pierced on?
Umm nose earings are hot. There called “Koka” in punjabi, and its an appreciation to beauty I dont think you should consider it as a caste or a religious thing just do it if you would like to, im sure it look goods on you too. If no guy has called u up on it, i do it lol have fun -Mayank