Nose Piercing - Nostril Piercing

Nostril Piercing

Nostril piercing is a body piercing practice often associated with India, Pakistan, Nepal and throughout South Asia. Nostril piercing is also part of traditional Australian Aboriginal culture (Stirn 2003). Nostril piercing has in recent decades become popular in the industrialized nations, as have other forms of body piercing. Afterwards punks and subsequent youth cultures in the '80s and '90s adopted this sort of piercing. Today, nostril piercing is popular in the United States of America, the UK, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia and Europe, with piercings being performed on either the left or right nostril.

Both men and women have nostril piercings, though they are much more common on women. There are several different types of nostril rings. Among the most popular are the loop, the stud with an L-bar closure, the stud with a ball closure, and the stud with a flat backing.

In India the outside of the left is the preferred position of the piercing as this is supposed to make childbirth easier. This is because Ayurvedic medicine associates this location with the female reproductive organs. In India piercings were regarded as a mark of beauty and social standing as well as a Hindu's honor to Parvati, the goddess of marriage, Nose piercing is still popular in India. They are often part of Indian wedding jewellery. In Maharastra women wear very large nose pieces that often cover the mouth or the side of the face.

It is common for Pashtun and Pahari women to have both nostrils pierced. Many South Indian Tamil also follow this tradition. The tradition follows that the woman has her nose rings to pay for her funeral if she has all the gold taken from her. Nose rings or gold studs cannot be easily removed from the woman. Many women from the Asian subcontinent are cremated with just their nose studs as jewellery is removed before the funeral. Indian widows usually remove their nose studs as a sign of respect.