Editing Mourning (section)

==== Nigeria ====
In Nigeria, there is a cultural belief that a recent widow is impure. During the mourning period, which lasts from 3 months to a year, several traditions are enforced for the purpose of purification, including confinement, complete shaving of the widow and her children, and a ban on any hygiene practices- including hand-washing, wearing clean clothes or sitting off the floor when eating.<ref name=":3">Edemikpong, H. (n.d.). ''Widowhood rites: Nigeria Women’s Collective Fights a dehumanizing tradition.'' EBSCO. <nowiki>https://research.ebsco.com/c/iperyp/viewer/pdf/w4msr6xfgv</nowiki></ref> The extended family of the husband also take all the widow's property. These practices are criticized for the health risks and emotional damage to the widow.<ref name=":3" />