The Red Tent

The titular red tent represents the community of women who gather to support one another through shared menstruation, motherhood, and childrearing. The idea that menstruation blood or pregnancy is “polluting” is attested in historical records spanning many cultures and time periods; this notion has since been challenged. The tent offers a space to observe this cultural taboo, but seclusion is also portrayed as a time of rest. Since the menstrual cycle is roughly 28 days, as is the lunar month, the cycle is often connected to lunar phases. The ritual seclusion for Dinah’s family takes place during the three days of the new moon: Dinah says “my mothers celebrated the new moon with cakes and songs and stories, leaving ill will outside for the duration of the darkness” (133). The time is treated as religious observance, with the women making an offering by pouring wine over images of Inanna and dedicating first menstrual blood. In addition to secluding themselves during menstruation, women also enter the red tent to give birth. The red color of blood can indicate life or death, in the case of death by childbirth or stillbirth.