I want to add a few more reasons: 1) To meet their sisters, cousins, and childhood friends ( remember our rural women don't have emails and cell phones to contact friends) 2) To escape from the hardship of everyday life (even if it is for a day or two) 3)To meet parents and relatives 4) To eat descent food (remember buharis don't/didn't even get enough food..forget about delicious food) 5) Fasting (most probably for health reason) 6) Datiwan to brush their teeth (they didn't/don't have electric toothbrushes) 7) About husbands being abusive....(Sasus ( women) are more likely to abuse buharis.So, it is women torturing women more than men torturing women.) 8) In our male dominant culture ( at least in the past) there might have been some other "not-so-good" reasons behind fasting, but that alone doesn't make Teej so unnecessary. 9)It is a tradition they want to continue(what is your freaking problem?), if are free not to celebrate it. 10) And I am also fasting by the way, I need to keep myself (and my system) fit so that I can be more active and keep my wife HAPPY as she is...heheheh. DP