Impurity after childbirth is the concept in many cultures and religions that a new mother is in a state of uncleanliness for a period of time after childbirth, requiring ritual purification. Practices vary, but typically there are limits around what she can touch, who she can interact with, where she can go, and what tasks she can do. Some practices related to impurity after childbirth, such as seclusion, overlap with the more general practice of postpartum confinement.
Practices by culture
Ancient Greece The Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus compared the impurity of childbirth to the impurity of death. The entire household, all those who assisted at the birth, and the new baby incurred this impurity; this most likely ended with the ritual washing of hands at the amphidromia, five to seven days later. The mother's purification may also have occurred then, or she may have remained heavily polluted until the dekate, ten days after giving birth. A period of lighter pollution followed, during which the new mother remained confined to her home and was especially banned from entering sacred spaces. After forty days, she left her home, made a sacrifice to the gods (possibly a dog to Hekate), and was considered clean again.
Ancient Rome Not much is known about postpartum impurity in Ancient Rome. Festus, in his De verborum significatione, describes a ritual purification of newborn girls on the eighth day after birth and boys on the ninth day. Augustine of Hippo mentions a tradition of sweeping the threshold after a birth, a purification rite also practiced by the Romans after a death in the household. Along with customs such as decorating the door with laurel branches and lighting a candle to Candelifera, these purification rites may have indicated a belief in postpartum impurity. However, such impurity does not seem to have extended to the household as a whole: the father of a newborn could enter temples, and visitors were welcomed after a birth.
Hinduism In traditional Hindu practice, a woman who is in labor or has recently given birth (a jachcha) is considered impure, a state called sutak. Based on passages from the Aitareya Brahmana, anthropologist Gabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi infers that this practice dates back to the Vedic era. Pandurang Vaman Kane theorizes that it most likely originated with the indigenous Harappan culture, rather than with the arrival of Indo-Aryans. Like many Hindu purity practices, the impurity after childbirth has been decreasingly observed since the 19th century; many modern Hindus observe a shortened period of impurity, welcome visitors after the birth of a child, and are willing to touch the new mother and baby. Traditionally, the puerperal impurity is attributed to nine months of menstrual blood accumulated during the pregnancy, and thought to be more severe than even the impurity associated with death. Women are therefore expected to give birth in a secluded location, in order to confine the impurity. Depending on the local tradition and the family's resources, this may be a dedicated hut (atur-ghar or sutikagara), a repurposed shed or outhouse, or simply an unused room of the house. The traditional midwife (dai), often belonging to the dalit caste, is considered impure by association. She is especially responsible for those tasks which are considered impure, such as cutting the umbilical cord, touching the genitals of the woman in labor, and bathing the mother and child. The new mother remains heavily impure for three days after the birth. During this Sor period, she remains secluded from the family, attended by the dai. The new baby's father and his household are also considered impure during this period, regardless of where the birth occurred. The newborn may be considered to share the mother's state of heavy impurity, or to be too young to be impure. On the third day, the jai bathes and anoints the mother and child, bringing them to a state of lesser impurity. The mother's bangles and all the clay pots in the household are broken; the clothes worn during labor, the bedding, and the receiving blanket are disposed of; dirt floors are refinished; and the tool used to cut the umbilical cord is purified. Other members of the household also bathe, returning them to a state of purity. After the end of the Sor period, the new mother can rejoin her household, but remains in her state of lesser impurity for about forty days after the birth. She traditionally remains confined to the house for this period, and while she may resume many of her ordinary household tasks, she continues to avoid cooking, grinding flour, and touching water. She may be expected to avoid various foods, such as buttermilk and curds. Another woman may share her bed in order to ensure that the husband does not engage in sexual intercourse with the new mother, which is held to be harmful to him. Due to the continued impurity, the household does not accept visitors during this period; hijras, however, are welcomed, and may be paid to bless the new baby. All members of the household avoid temples and auspicious events, and the new mother may not engage in worship or touch holy images. The exact span of the period of lesser impurity varies according to local custom; it may depend on the sex of the infant or the caste of the mother, or the end date may be set by a Brahmin. Towards the end of this time, the new mother may participate in a ritual touching of earthenware, marking the point at which she is allowed to handle pots and enter the kitchen. At the end of the period of impurity, the woman bathes, her clothes and bedding are washed, and some women engage in a "well worship" (Daghar Puja) ritual. After this, she and her household are considered clean, and can return to their normal activities.
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