"The White Widows" - the story of a cruel tradition

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India is considered the most mystical country in the world. There, the times seem to be "slow," and traditions are kept as they were thousands of years ago. Is this good from the point of view of our time? - There are both positive and very negative sides. One of the worst and most unfair traditions in this unique country is the discriminatory attitude towards widow women. They call them "white widows" because from their widowhood they are obliged to wear only white sari - they are forbidden any other color of their garment and the wearing of any ornaments. The lives of these women, some of them widowed as little girls, continue like "live death". According to local perceptions, however, their fate is a well-deserved punishment for sins of past life that they must redeem in the present. In Indian psychology, there are many curious features in the relationship between husband and wife. The woman, e.g. she should not turn to her husband by name. At the same time, as if it were for a "balance," it was not female adultery, but the male. Obviously, the woman, in principle, should not be cheating on her husband. As for the address, there is another - superstitious sense - that by pronouncing the name of her husband, the woman cut down her life days by as many times as she has named her by name. Indian women are shivering not to get sick of their men, and when this happens, they have to fast to "redeem" their illness. They always follow their husband, ie. go after him, and have no right to contradict or reproach him for anything. The Indian woman has to wash her husband's feet as a sign of his full submission to his will. Even as very small, the girls learn to respect the man as the god of the earth on whom their destiny depends. And all this, for centuries, to the present day, makes Indian women the victim of a tradition, subjected not to religious as to superstitious perceptions. Young girls are shivering not to die their men so they do not turn into "white widows". They prefer marriage without love, often with adult and sick men, to "white widowhood."

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In some states of India, this sinister tradition is adhered to, and even seven-year-old "white widows", married to adult men, can meet. According to some contemporary culturesologists, "white widowhood" is a phenomenon which in itself is discriminatory towards women. Because being a girl in India now means "bad karma," subjected to the risk of widowhood. If the woman becomes widowed and becomes a "white widow", her life becomes a real hell. The first thing they do with her is to cut her hair and hit her white sari. From that moment on, such a woman is labeled - it is also recognizable in clothing and in the absence of any decorations on it, such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings, characteristic and favorite accessories of the Indian woman. The "White Widows" do not participate in any amusement or public events. They are obliged to lead an ascetic life and fast - their food is a plate of saltless rice a day. The confessions further condemn these women to a lonely and terrible life. The superstitious believe that even the shadow of a "white widow" brings misery. In the more fanatical families, the widow even deny her children. Women are forced to leave the family home, which is preferable to the humiliation of being permanently kidnapped by relatives and relatives. Many "white widows" go home in the streets where they are begging alms. And if all this seems cruel and above all unfair, then it is just humane, compared to one another, fortunately a forbidden ritual: By the nineteenth century, in some Indian states, the woman was burned with her late husband. How did this happen? - Your hair will be bristling - throwing the woman into the fire in which her husband is cremating. Some women, in their despair, were so mad that they were throwing themselves into the fire and even helping them burn out to finish their torment hour by Other people who tried to escape were returned back to the fire with sticks, the relatives of the deceased. Officially, this cruel ritual was banned in 1987, but according to acquaintances, it is still practiced in some places. Obviously, their authorities are aware of this because a choice is legalized - if the widow chooses the fire to "white widowhood," she can sign a document that she wants to be cremated along with her late husband.

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All that seems so primitive and anti-humane in the minds of civilized peoples in India is deeply rooted in psychedelic psychology and traditional thinking. For centuries, the notion that the man dies, because his wife is guilty of his death, and has to pay for his sins until the end of his earthly days. Many "white widows" go to the holy city of Vrindavan. According to religious beliefs, if she dies in this city, the widow receives spiritual liberation and interrupts the circle of bad karma. This can be seen as a noble solution of the "white widow", to protect from bad karma the girls, the generations after her. The Ashrams in Vrindavan are filled with such women, appointed for sinners, and left to the sole consolation to redeem their "blame" through their own death in the holy city. Because of their common fate, "white widows" find consolation, understanding, and human attitude from one another. These women no longer have relatives, and this is a suppressive feeling if one experiences it alone, without the support of his fellow-men. The ashrams in Vrindavan are working. Women are engaged in handicraft and painting, and spend the rest of the time in prayer. Vrindavan is not the only "white widow" refugee town - there are several in India. In recent years, many charities have been trying to help "white widows" to adapt to their new lifestyle and receive treatment when needed. In India, there are already public organizations that openly defend themselves against unhappy women - against discriminatory attitudes towards them; appeal for a law banning the anti-human tradition. Many young girls and women are at risk of becoming a victim, and that's another reason for a rising protest against her. Everything speaks that there is already a confrontation in the country that seeks to solve the problem, but unfortunately, tradition is stronger than attempts to change. And while Indian society has seen a desire to get rid of the prejudice loopholes, the attitude towards the "white widows" and in the 21st century remains unchanged, as it used to be centuries ago, as lepers.