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Piercing A Nose-Around the World

A very ancient traditional piercing a nose says,

"Thou, walking behind me, do admire my languidly swaying walk /do admire those long curly, dark tresses of mine/but keep thy eyes open, on the road/because I seem to have dropped my nose ring somewhere/!"

Yes, the piercing a nose and adorning a ring has been a glinting, gleaming, alluring and bewitching part of Oriental jewelry, the passing glint of which, when seen through a demure veil, was supposedly able to render fascinated young youth completely moonstruck!

piercing a nose picture of a Trible women with big nose ring jewelry

Nostril piercing is a body piercing practice for the purpose of wearing jewelry, much like ear piercing, which is most primarily and prominently associated with Indian culture and fashion since classical times, and found commonly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and throughout South and even Southeast Asia. Nostril piercing is also part of traditional Australian Aboriginal culture and the culture of the Ilocano, a tribe in the Philippines.

With the diffusion, exposure and spread of Indian fashion and culture, piercing a nose has in recent decades become popular in the wider world, as have other forms of body piercing, after punks and subsequent youth cultures in the '80s and '90s adopted this sort of piercing. Today, nostril piercing is popular in the wider world including South America, United States of America, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, Africa, Japan and Europe, with piercings being performed on either the left or right nostril. For some cultures, this practice is simply for ornament, while for others it is for religious practices. Initially in America, this practice was for subcultures and was seen to be associated with minority youth.

Piercing a Nose History of Other Cultures

Nose piercing spread quickly among Arab and Egyptian cultures. Men took to it because it accentuated their manliness and power.

In fact, there came to be a certain fascination with the size of the stud fastened onto a particularly large nose!

Body piercings of all types became increasingly popular, even spreading throughout all corners of the Roman Empire.

Piercing a nose can be dated through Pre-Columbian and colonial times throughout North and South America. Numerous status ceremonies are carved into the North Temple of the Great Ballcourt at Chichin Itza. One of these processions is a nose piercing ceremony that is depicted on the North Temple vault. Rather than depicting sacrifice, the common theme of the temple's carvings, the central figure is shown aiming what most likely is a bone awl to pierce the figure's nose. The ritual of the nostril piercing signified the elevated status of this figure. His place in society is symbolized by his nose piercing. Similarly, nose piercing signified elevated status in Colonial Highland Maya. The two prominent lords, Ajpop and the Ajpop K'ama, of the K'iche were pierced through the nose at the pinnacle of an elaborate ceremony. Similar to a crowning of a king, the nose piercing was to show their new found leadership of the K'iche.

In Yucatan, explorers Oviedo y Valdes, Herrera y Tordesillas, Diego de Landa, and Jeronimo de Aguilar all noted different nose piercings that they observed in Mayans and other cultures in Yucatan in general. They reported that different stones could have different meaning within each civilization. In addition, they believed the different placement and size and shape of beads could denote the specific society the person came from. The Toltecs were believed to have piercings through the ala of the nose that was ordained with a bead. While the Mayans pierced through the septum and consisted of an oblong bead rather than a spherical.

Contemporary Nose Piercing History

piercing a nose picture of a beautiful women

As centuries passed, the culture and rituals of piercing a nose subsided to remain mostly an Eastern practice. And then in the 1960s, teenagers who were fans of the Beatles paid attention when the Fab Four traveled to India and immersed themselves in Eastern meditations and pastimes.

A rebellious subculture of the times -the hippies- picked up on this fascinating, ancient practice. Many who could afford it traveled to India's western coastline, specifically to the Goa region. They loved the look of the pierced nostril worn with a chain to the ear, and they loved the idea as yet one more way to demonstrate their individuality and nonconformity.

Nose piercing has since remained on the social radar of all types of young people, from the hippies of the Seventies, to the Punk rockers of the Eighties, to the Goths of the Nineties all the way through to today. For many it symbolizes their rejection of traditional ideals and values.

And for many others, it has remained a cultural expression, an accentuation of beauty. Throughout the decades there have been those who have been pierced conservatively, displaying small gems and hiding them with invisible posts when out in public but enjoying them in small social circles.

In the 1990s, nose piercings were specifically associated with ethnic minorities. Today, this practice has spread beyond this group in America and worldwide it continues to be used for a myriad of reasons. Despite being widespread, this piercing is still associated with negative connotations. For example, in a survey done in the hospitality industry, 81% of hiring managers stated that piercings and tattoos affect their perception of the candidate negatively.