I have seen soooooooo many women do that- they don’t shower for 40 days. It’s a really common thing in Pakistan to not shower while you’re having your periods. When I was visiting I was told it’s because your body bloats up or some nonsense like that. So I guess that’s where it stems from, and women think that if you just had a baby and you’re bleeding, stay away from the bathroom- pretty gross, honestly.
A friend’s mamoo took leave earlier this year from work so he could go to Pakistan this December to get married, and there was big drama when he was asked to cancel his trip by the girl’s side. The preps had begun, his family was all excited but a couple of months later, the girl’s family said they couldn’t do it in December anymore, and wanted to postpone it to the December of the next year. The reason was, bride’s bhabi got pregnant and was due to have her baby at the end of November, and since she wasn’t allowed to shower for 40 days, they didn’t want to have the wedding before January. So in the end, the groom’s family now has to wait one entire year to get him married because apparently, grabbing your towel, stepping into the bathroom and showering is just so difficult and unimportant.
Who knows if someone else gets pregnant in the family next year, poor guy will have to stay unmarried for some more time.