Because of the Anna Temkina and you will Lilit Zakaryan, Department of your own Sociology out of Public Health and Sex, Eu School on St.Petersburg, Russia and you may National Academy regarding Sciences, Armenia

Karmir khndzor (Armenia)

Evaluation your ex love – thanks to testing the girl virginity – to affirm honour and you can standing away from the woman nearest and dearest is available inside the a selection of ‘layer ceremonies’ during the patriarchal communities regarding the Mediterranean cultures so you’re able to Latin Western peasantry and you can Indian castes, due to the fact Dark ages (Kandiyoti 1988, Carpenter 2005, Ortner 1978: 19). The thing is can be found for the habit of blaga rakija in the Macedonia. Women virginity are of this social status given that an effective woman’s status regarding the social construction is scheduled because of the just how ‘pure’ otherwise ‘polluting’ she’s (Ortner 1978: 24-26). This belief has been ‘enforced of the medical and sometimes slightly major control over ladies personal and particularly sexual behaviour’ (Ortner 1978: 19). Predicated on Simone de- Beauvoir, virginity are a great patriarchal construct and therefore objectifies female since the Most other (1949 ).

Karmir khndzor was rarely mentioned about Armenian ethnography on the later 19th and early twentieth years because Armenian culture is mostly silent into the situations regarding sexuality. Predominantly male ethnographers failed to browse the the wedding night ceremonies inside enough detail with regards to women informants. When your fiance try very young, the new ritual wasn’t performed with the relationships night at all and you may are delayed for quite some time (Shagoyan 2011: 497). Red oranges always enjoy a different role in the local rituals accompanying the increased loss of brand new bride’s virginity (Shagoyan 2011). While the a symbol of virility in accordance with a sexual meaning, fruit was applied as the a gift box to have gold accessories, gifted for the bride-to-be. The latest spherical model of the latest fresh fruit displayed integrity and perfection and you will the fresh virginity of one’s bride is in addition translated because the woman ‘integrity’ (tselostnost, compare to tselka, ‘virgin’).

The modern style of karmir khndzor that’s being used during Armenia and also in numerous diasporic groups shot to popularity while in the Soviet several months to the improve out of metropolitan migration throughout the 70s. New ritual comes with the after the rules: To the day after the wedding, a little gang of people (this new couple’s godmother or groom’s mommy, maternal sis or married sibling), always two or three, promote the caretaker away from bride-to-be a holder from apples, chocolate and you may cognac. The newest groom’s mother invites this lady neighbors otherwise romantic family, once again several girls, over to possess coffee, tea, candy and you can fruit. New godmother incisions this new oranges on the four parts and offers her or him on the website visitors. Desserts as an apple are an appropriate present. This new practice has three tips: examination, sanctioning and you may validation. Pursuing the groom’s mommy or any other lady look for contours away from blood into bedsheet of the bridal pair (examination), the fresh bride-to-be receives a gift in case there is their affirmed virginity or a belief and you will censure in the event of failure (sanctioning). Throughout the step three, a red-colored apple otherwise a rack which have oranges is sent because the recognition towards the bride’s mom, who awaits so it signal followed by family unit members otherwise neighbours within her house (Shagoyan 2011, Pogosyan 2010).

Field browse used regarding mid-2000s showed that karmir khndzor are did extremely rigorously and vigilantly when you look at the rural areas where gender norms was in fact more traditional and you will hierarchical. About towns, the new habit grabbed a far more modest setting – the new routine are performed although virginity investigations try a whole lot more lenient (Temkina 2008, 2010). Multiple alter has assisted change new habit since 2000s (Temkina 2008, 2010, Pogosyan 2011). Very first, the brand new routine could have been articulated throughout the social discourse by the news, NGOs and also the ladies course, along with academic commentary, informative programs and you may college or university courses into sex, sociology, psychology and you will equivalent specialities. Virginity is politicised just after multiple NGOs (Wo-men’s room Investment Center out-of Armenia, UTOPIANA, WOW) prepared shows geared towards deconstructing the newest ritual that have titles such as for example ‘Purple Apple is getting eating’ and ‘We ask you to the latest funeral of Reddish Apple on 8 away from .’ It has got swayed the fresh impression out of karmir khndzor because of the more youthful years which became expected to notice it because the a keen old-fashioned habit of intimacy handle. Second, they turned you can easily to fabricate virginity. Women that had premarital relationship you are going to replicate their virginity for their husbands and you can/otherwise mothers-in law because of the in the process of a medical hymenoplastic process in order to reconstruct brand new hymen and have indicated the cultural love and you may honourable femininity. Because of the medicalising the brand new karmir khndzor behavior, gynecologists may help ladies to create a frequent bio also to enhance their lives chances getting a routine e more prominent for couples so you can will not be involved in the ritual or to help you ‘save’ brand new ladies’ virginity. As the intimate matchmaking turned alot more liberal and you will considered belonging to an autonomous areas away from private lifetime, karmir khndzor is directed in order to a great ceremonial and you can social icon in the latest national relationship possesses destroyed the connection to help you virginity, as for analogy is the case regarding a marriage veil when you look at the Russia.

Karmir khndzor is swept up on stress ranging from national label https://datingmentor.org/lesbian-dating/ and you may modernity. As the ritual signifies Armenian society and you may traditional sex positions, people who deny brand new routine risk becoming considered to be lower than best Armenian residents and people. But really people who rigidly follow the routine would-be named backwards and you can old-fashioned from the its competitors. Yet not, pro- and fraud- thinking in order to karmir khndzor are better thought of as being proudly located into the a spectrum. Both teenagers and women get target toward virginity shot becoming an apparatus regarding control over the closeness and private lifetime. In other cases, women may want to remain its virginity ahead of relationships in order to think it over an important cultural culture you to definitely fosters kinship solidarity. Certain can get invest in manage its virginity, but hate the public verification after the wedding. Many young people consider low-marital gender given that acceptable for both males and females and think karmir khndzor entirely archaic. Once the patriarchal sex system shed their rigidness, all of the ranking concerning habit suggest insufficient any social opinion concerning habit (get a hold of outlined conditions to possess carrying out new routine into the Pogosyan 2010).

Records

Poghosyan, A. 2010. A number of the popular features of the fresh sales of the society “Red apple”: Heritage and you can Modernity inside Armenian People, Yerevan: Gitutyuan, 359-367

Shagoyan, G. 2011. ‘” One week, 7 nights”: Views of your own Armenian wedding, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of National Academy of Sciences, RA, 496-509