For three nights, Tulasi Shahi slept in the cowshed underneath her home in Nepal’s western Dailekh district because she was on her period. In western Nepal, many families believe it is a sin for menstruating women to sleep inside the home and could bring bad luck.
On her third night in the shed — last Wednesday — a snake entered, so on Thursday night the 18-year-old moved to the cowshed at her uncle’s house, according to Anita Gyawali, the women’s development officer in the district. That night, a snake breached the uncle’s shed, this time biting Shahi on the hand.
Shahi’s family brought her to a Hindu shaman, who performed rituals from 10 p.m. til 6 the next morning before declaring she needed a doctor.