Re: "...He parades a bloody sheet in front of his family and the neighbors the next day They are sicker and more disgusting that even I gave them credit for..."
Truth be known, kellymaureen, this custom has been the norm throughout most, if not all, of the Mediterranean world for thousands of years, and is still in practice today in remote areas of Greece, Italy, Sicily, all of North Africa, throughout the Middle East, etc.
The bloody sheet signifies to the community that two of their own have consummated the wedding vows, and that new little members of their community will soon be arriving.
In addition, the purity of their womenfolk is verified publicly, as much of the world still values a woman's "honor" in being pure and chaste prior to marriage.
One must take into consideration that modern and effective birth control methods are a very new invention, and that most of the known world today still abhors and shuns the use of them.
Also, only since the mid-20th Century has penicillin been known, but syphilis and worse diseases have been known and prevalent worldwide since the beginning of time. In less developed cultures, "purity" in sexuality is also a hygienic value, preventing generations of syphilitic children being born, as was once the case in Europe and the U.S. Without modern antibiotic science, STD's are permanent, contagious, debilitating, and even life-threatening.
Best not to judge older cultures by modern mores and customs most of the time.
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