Because of the Anna Temkina and you will Lilit Zakaryan, Agency of the Sociology from Societal Health and Intercourse, Western european University during the St.Petersburg, Russia and you may National Academy from Sciences, Armenia

Karmir khndzor (Armenia)

Research the woman’s purity – thanks to analysis their virginity – so you’re able to affirm honor and you may reputation out-of her members of the family is obtainable inside the a variety of ‘sheet ceremonies‘ when you look at the patriarchal communities on Mediterranean countries to help you Latin Western peasantry and you will Indian castes, just like the Dark ages (Kandiyoti 1988, Carpenter 2005, Ortner 1978: 19). The thing is are present to your practice of blaga rakija when you look at the Macedonia. Women virginity is from the personal esteem due to the fact a female’s status from the personal build is defined from the how ‘pure‘ or ‘polluting‘ this woman is (Ortner 1978: 24-26). So it trust might have been ‘enforced by health-related and often some serious control over women’s public and particularly intimate behaviour‘ (Ortner 1978: 19). According to Simone de Beauvoir, virginity try an effective patriarchal construct and this objectifies female as Almost every other (1949 ).

Karmir khndzor was hardly mentioned from the Armenian ethnography throughout the later 19th and very early 20th centuries once the Armenian people is actually primarily quiet to the issues from sexuality. Mostly male ethnographers did not investigate the marriage evening ceremonies from inside the sufficient outline making use of their girls informants. Whether your bride-to-be are extremely young, the routine was not did with the relationship evening whatsoever and try defer for several years (Shagoyan 2011: 497). Red apples regularly gamble a unique role about local traditions accompanying the increased loss of the newest bride’s virginity (Shagoyan 2011). Given that symbolic of fertility with a sexual meaning, apple was used as something special package to possess gold jewelry, skilled on the bride-to-be. Brand new circular shape of the brand new fruit displayed integrity and you will perfection and you will the latest virginity of bride to be are while doing so interpreted because their ‘integrity‘ (tselostnost, compare to tselka, ‘virgin‘).

The present day form of karmir khndzor that is active through the Armenia plus numerous diasporic groups shot to popularity while in the Soviet period towards increase off metropolitan migration throughout the 70s. The newest ritual contains the pursuing the statutes: To the early morning pursuing the relationship, a tiny gang of ladies (the brand new couple’s godmother or groom’s mom, maternal brother otherwise partnered cousin), usually a couple of, promote the caretaker away from fiance a holder off apples, sweets and you can cognac. The brand new groom’s mom attracts the woman neighbors or romantic relatives, once again two or three people, over having coffee, tea, sweets and you may fresh fruit. The godmother incisions new oranges on the five bits and you will shares him or her to the traffic. Cakes as a fruit are also a suitable gift. The fresh new routine has three steps: test, sanctioning and you can validation. Following groom’s mother or other lady look for traces regarding blood to your bedsheet of your wedding couple (examination), the new bride obtains a present in case there are the woman verified virginity or a belief and you may censure in case there is inability (sanctioning). On the next step, a red-colored apple otherwise a tray with apples is distributed as validation towards bride’s mother, exactly who awaits it sign with family members or neighbors at the the lady family (Shagoyan 2011, Pogosyan 2010).

Job browse held on the mid-2000s revealed that karmir khndzor was performed most rigorously and faithfully within the rural places where gender norms were more traditional and hierarchical. From the metropolitan areas, the fresh new habit took a more average mode – the latest routine try performed but the virginity analysis try way more lenient (Temkina 2008, 2010). Numerous change features assisted change brand new habit because 2000s (Temkina 2008, 2010, Pogosyan 2011). Earliest, the newest ritual could have been articulated about public discourse because of the media, NGOs while the ladies‘ path, plus in educational discourse, educational courses and you will college programs to your gender, sociology, mindset and you may equivalent professions. Virginity happens to be politicised immediately after multiple NGOs (Wo-men’s Money Center away from Armenia, UTOPIANA, WOW) prepared shows intended for deconstructing the newest routine with titles instance ‘Red-colored Fruit is to own eating‘ and you can ‘I ask you to the brand new funeral service of the Purple Fruit to the 8 out-of .‘ This has swayed the fresh effect out-of karmir khndzor by younger years who turned prone to see it due to the fact a keen old-designed practice of closeness manage. Next, they turned into possible to produce virginity. Ladies who had premarital matchmaking you’ll simulate their virginity due to their husbands and you may/otherwise mothers-in-law by the undergoing a health hymenoplastic process so you can reconstruct the newest hymen and you can demonstrate its social purity and you can honourable womanliness. Because of the medicalising the karmir jak wiadomoЕ›ci kimЕ› localmilfselfies khndzor routine, gynecologists may help women to build a normal biography also to boost their lifetime potential to possess a normal e more prominent having partners so you can refuse to participate in the newest routine or in order to ‘save‘ this new ladies virginity. Since intimate matchmaking turned into significantly more liberal and you will considered to be owned by an autonomous fields of individual lifetime, karmir khndzor is actually relegated so you’re able to an effective ceremonial and you can cultural icon from inside the the newest federal marriage and also shed the partnership to virginity, for analogy is the case from a married relationship veil in Russia.

Karmir khndzor is actually swept up about tensions anywhere between federal label and you will modernity. As the routine stands for Armenian people and conventional gender jobs, people that deny the newest routine exposure becoming regarded as less than right Armenian customers and you may girls. But really people who rigidly proceed with the ritual would be thought to be backwards and old-fashioned from the the rivals. Yet not, pro- and you will ripoff- perceptions so you can karmir khndzor operate better thought of as being proudly located with the a spectrum. Each other young men and female may object on virginity test acting as a mechanism off command over its closeness and personal lives. Some days, ladies may prefer to remain their virginity just before matrimony in order to think about it an important cultural society one to fosters kinship solidarity. Some may agree to maintain the virginity, however, dislike its public confirmation following the wedding. Of numerous teenagers check low-marital sex since the acceptable for both males and females and consider karmir khndzor completely archaic. Because patriarchal intercourse program lost the rigidness, the range of ranks concerning practice imply deficiencies in people social opinion towards routine (pick outlined circumstances to possess creating the brand new ritual during the Pogosyan 2010).

Recommendations

Poghosyan, A. 2010. A number of the attributes of brand new transformation of one’s culture “Reddish apple”: Customs and you can Modernity during the Armenian Culture, Yerevan: Gitutyuan, 359-367

Shagoyan, Grams. 2011. ‘” 7 days, eight evening”: Horizon of your own Armenian wedding, Institute out of Archaeology and you may Ethnography away from Federal Academy off Sciences, RA, 496-509