4 things that were considered shameful for a woman in ancient Rus'

The life of girls in Rus' was dictated, first of all, by Christian canons, and then by traditions. There were things that were a terrible humiliation for a Russian woman or were used as punishment for certain sins.

Walk without a hat

On the day of the wedding ceremony, each girl covered her head with a scarf - this was a mandatory and strict event. In fact, the covered head spoke of her new status. From that day on, a woman had no right to walk without a headdress - be it a kokoshnik, a scarf, a scarf, or a bandage. Moreover, this rule applied both at home and on the street.

If a girl suddenly appeared in society with her head uncovered, then gossip would immediately spread about her, and the attitude towards her would change, not for the better. In the eyes of other residents, she became almost a criminal. By this she dishonored herself, her husband, and her parents, who failed to raise her correctly.

Get a haircut

Everyone knows the proverb: “A braid is a girl’s beauty.” They knew her in Rus' too. They even tried not to cut their hair for little girls, let alone grown-up young ladies or girls of marriageable age.

Only nuns could cut their hair during their tonsure.

True, sometimes a woman could still have her hair cut, but this was a kind of punishment for some offense - the haircut was forced, which, in fact, was a shame.For example, a landowner could cut his maid's hair for not doing some work, or his parents or husband could cut his hair for a dissolute lifestyle before marriage, infidelity, or flirting with a stranger.

Shave legs

Women got rid of excess hair on their bodies even before our era. The Egyptians, for example, did this with knives. But even then it was not a cosmetic procedure for the aesthetics and beauty of the legs, but rather a measure of protection against infections and diseases. In Ancient Rome, hairs were already pulled out, but also not for beauty, but for health reasons.

In Rus', such a procedure was performed only by persons of princely blood, and ordinary peasant women simply had no time for it - working from morning to evening, raising children, running a household. However, already at that time, shaved legs were considered a sign of ease and frivolity. In addition, exposing your legs was also the height of indecency, as was walking with your head uncovered. Especially for married ladies and girls of marriageable age. No one wanted to risk their own honor, and therefore shaving their legs in Rus' was considered a disgrace.

Chat with strangers

In the era of pagan Slavism, women had a fairly free life. They were allowed to play games, take part in dances, dance in circles, and at that time they looked at their sex life, one might say, with a blind eye.

But everything changed with the advent of Christianity. Girls were strictly forbidden to enter into dialogue with unfamiliar men, especially married ones. And receiving guests at home or taking gifts from them was considered a terrible shame, for which girls were often severely punished.