Televised Virginity Test
• Religious Meddlers, Do-gooders
This, um, squicks me. What a terribly disrespectful, antiquated thing to subject a woman to in the 21st century. Who knows maybe some American fundagelicals will adopt the country. No, probably not: whatever nonsense they spout in their heart they know better.
The gipsy custom of checking a bride's virginity at her wedding has provoked an outcry in Spain after being performed at the televised nuptials of a flamenco star.
Women guests at such weddings are expected to extract blood from the bride's hymen on a white handkerchief. If the handkerchief is stained with the "three roses" of a virgin's blood, the bride is deemed fit for marriage. Rosario Alcantara was judged to have given "four roses", allowing the congregation to shower the cloth with sugared almonds in the time-honoured tradition.
Images of the soiled handkerchief were subsequently broadcast on all Spain's major television stations.

Comments
Posted by: vinod kumar | October 9, 2005 08:16 AM
Posted by: Rose | December 4, 2005 08:03 PM