In parts of India, Eastern Europe, North Africa, Middle East, etc., a cultural practice exists where, after the first night of marriage, a blood-soaked bedsheet is presented to the groom’s family as proof of a girl’s virginity and consummation of marriage. It’s shocking that this practice exists in 2025 and is glorified to this day.
This practice is rooted in patriarchal notions of controlling female sexuality, not specific to any faith or culture.
One can only imagine the humiliation with which a newlywed begins her new life.