Nose rings, nose piercings, nose studs, whatever you say, all are a form of body modification. Yes, nose piercing is a way of creating a small hole in the nostril where you can easily insert jewelry like nose rings and studs through the nostril.
This nose piercing and nose ring has a long history and we can find them in various cultures and regions all over the world. Especially in India and the Indian subcontinent, nose piercings and wearing nose rings are so common.
In India and the Indian subcontinent, more than 95% of women do nose piercing and wear nose rings. And these practices come to throw their cultural traditions for centuries. Not only nose piercing but also ear piercing, which is also considered their cultural tradition.
In our previous article, we describe earrings’ meaning, history, inventions, popularity, and who wore them first. If you are interested you can check this out, let’s jump to the history of piercing and nose rings.
If we traced back thousands of years to ancient and rich cultural civilizations such as the Egyptians, we can see that they believed the nose was connected to the reproductive organs. Yes, and their belief was wearing a nose ring would enhance fertility.
Let’s come back to modern Western culture from the ancient Egyptians. In Western culture, nose piercings gained popularity between the 1960s and 1970s. And the popularity was a part of the broader counterculture and hippie movement.
And before that nose rings become a popular form of fashion and self-expression. At present, nose rings are so common among women from all over the words, and you will get hundreds of different variants of nose rings.
Today in this article we will describe A to Z about nose rings. Here we will tell you about nose rings meaning, invention, inventors, popularity, and history. So keep reading and take a look at the evolution of nose rings from ancient to the present.
Take A Look At These Antique Nose Rings
Antique Septum/ Fake Piercing | Traditional Nath Nose Ring |
What’s The Meaning Of A Nose Ring
There is no exact meaning of nose rings because the meaning of a nose ring can vary depending on the cultural, religious, or personal context. But here we can show you some common meanings which are connected with nose rings.
1. Cultural And Traditional Significance
Cultural and traditional significance is the most strongly connected with the meaning of nose rings. For example, in Indian and South Asian cultures, nose rings are often worn as a symbol of marriage and womanhood.
Additionally, almost every girl from the Indian subcontinent does nose piercings before their marriage. Even somewhere you can see that toddler girls also do nose piercing and wear nose rings. And if you read our article carefully from the beginning you already knew what is nose piercing.
If you move your eyes from India to Africa you can see another cultural tradition. Because, in some African cultures and regions, nose rings can symbolize wealth and status.
2. Self-Expression And Fashion
Well, those are all traditional and cultural beliefs for the Indian subcontinent, South Asia, and Africa. But why do Western like European or American wear nose rings?
In Western countries, like Europe and America nose rings are often worn as a form of self-expression and fashion statement. People from these countries choose to wear nose rings to showcase their personal style, and individuality, and to enhance their appearance.
But in the Western world nose rings contain meaning considering the nose sides. Yes, wearing and piercing nose on the right side contain a certain sexual meaning.
On the other hand, wearing and piercing nose on the left side contain other sexual meaning in Western culture. Even, you may be noticed that in the Western world wearing nose rings among men becoming popular day by day.
3. Rebellion And Nonconformity
Here is an important meaning of nose rings that we detected. If you take a look at the counterculture movements and rebellions which happened between the 1960s and 1970s you can trace that they uses nose rings as a way to challenge societal norms and express individuality.
And during that hippie movement nose piercings became popular in the Western world.
4. Religious Beliefs
It’s an old belief but still, some cultures hold this belief and we respect everyone’s belief. In certain religious more specifically in some Hindu traditions, women wear nose rings as a symbol of honor and devotion to their marital status.
Origin Of The Nose Ring
Nowadays it’s really difficult to trace the origin of nose rings. But here we can say you the possible origin of nose rings. The origin of nose rings comes from the ancient periods.
According to the archeologist, nose piercings come from the Middle East. More specifically nose rings came from the ancient Sumerians who lived in Mesopotamia around 4,500 BCE.
Our modern Iraq, Syria, and some parts of Iran were Mesopotamia. And in this ancient civilization, you can also trace the uses of earrings.
People from the Mesopotamia civilization start wearing nose rings in their artwork, and then nose piercings became very common there during that time.
If you slightly move from the ancient Middle East to ancient Egypt, you can also see the uses of nose rings. Both men and women from ancient Egypt wore nose rings. And ancient Egyptian belief that nose rings are a symbol of wealth and social status.
During that time in Egypt, nose rings were often made of gold or other precious materials. As well as social status Egyptian wear nose rings for religious and magical significance.
Not only Egypt, but other ancient African cultures also hold the presence of nose rings. During the ancient period nose rings were worn as a symbol of beauty, wealth, and social status in some African regions. And most of the time their nose rings were made of gold, silver, or bone.
Let’s come back from the Middle East and Africa and take a look at South Asia. More specifically nose piercings have a rich cultural and historical tradition in India.
When Mughal Empire ruled India, they brought nose rings from the Middle East to Indian Subcontinent. And Mughal Empire had strong cultural and trade connections with the Middle East.
Almost all Indian girls do nose piercings on the left nostril. According to them nose piercing on the left nostril is associated with marriage, femininity, and cultural identity.
But in our today’s world, nose rings are not bounded to a specific region or country. The uses of nose rings among women are noticeable all over the world. Although, till now Western women wear fewer nose rings compared to other regions, day by day the popularity increasing.
When Were Nose Rings Invented
It’s so difficult to find out the exact invention time of nose rings. But the oldest nose rings that our modern science traced are from the ancient period. And this nose ring comes from the Sumerian civilization around 4,500 BCE.
Then if you take a look at ancient Egypt, you can see the existence of nose rings which was around 1,500 BCE. But in ancient Egypt, both men and women wore nose rings which were made of gold or other precious materials.
Nose rings spread all over India from the Middle East. And these are the oldest existence of nose rings, but it’s hard to determine from which exact region nose rings came.
First Nose Piercing In History
The earliest period for nose piercing is known as the Mesopotamian period. Mesopotamia civilization was in the Middle East, especially today Iraq was the heart of Mesopotamia civilization.
This civilization exists around 4,500 BCE. If you look at their art fact, especially their statues and reliefs, depict individuals with nose piercings. And this art indicates that the practice of nose piercing was exist around 4,500 BCE.
Who Invented Nose Rings
Till now it’s not possible to trace the exact origin of nose rings and the invention location. So, finding the inventor of nose rings is almost impossible.
But since the oldest nose rings can trace the statues and reliefs of Sumerian civilization. So it can say that maybe nose rings were invented by a Sumerian.
It’s only a prediction because finding the exact inventor of nose rings it’s almost impossible at our present time. Maybe, when our technology will be more upgraded we can trace the exact location and person.
When Did Nose Rings Become Popular
Except for the modern world, the popularity of nose rings fluctuates a lot. Because nose rings were popular in different periods in different cultures and regions. The popularity of nose rings can vary and can be influenced by cultural, social, and fashion trends.
In the Western world, nose rings started gaining popularity between the 1960s to 1970s, and it’s happened during the counterculture and hippie movements. During that time nose rings became a symbol of individuality, freedom, and rejecting mainstream beauty standards.
Recently, nose rings become a popular form of self-expression and fashion statement. Many celebrities, influencers, and fashion icons have embraced nose rings. And this trending tide making nose rings popular day by day.
Even, you will see that men are also wearing nose rings to elaborate their sexual taste. But what does a nose ring mean sexually to a man? We will describe it in our next article, so stay connected with us.
That’s all about nose rings, here we describe the meaning, origin, history, and invention of nose rings. Hope this article helps you to know everything about ancient to modern nose rings.
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