When visiting the Palace of Versailles in Paris,
it is observed that the sumptuous palace has no bathrooms.
There were no toothbrushes, perfumes, deodorants,
and much less toilet paper.
Human excrement was thrown out of the palace windows.
On a holiday, the palace kitchen could prepare a feast for 1500 people.
without the slightest hygiene.
In current movies, we see people from that era shaking or fanning themselves...
The explanation lies not in the heat, but in the foul smell emitted beneath the skirts (which were intentionally made to contain the odor of the intimate parts, as there was no hygiene). It was also not customary to shower due to the cold and the almost non-existence of running water.
Only nobles had servants to fan them.
to dissipate the foul smell exhaled by the body and the mouth,
in addition to scaring away insects.
Those who have been to Versailles have admired the huge and beautiful gardens that, at that time,
not only were they contemplated, but they were also used as toilets in the famous ballads promoted by the monarchy,
because there were no bathrooms. Most weddings took place in June (for them, the beginning of summer).
The reason is simple: the first bath of the year was taken in May; so by June, the smell of people was still tolerable.
However, since some smells were already starting to bother,
brides carried bouquets of flowers near their bodies to cover the stench.
Hence the explanation for the origin of the bridal bouquet.
Baths were taken in a single huge bathtub filled with hot water.
The head of the family had the privilege of the first bath in clean water.
Then, without changing the water, the others would arrive in the house, in order of age, women, also by age, and finally children.
Babies were the last to bathe. By the time it was their turn, the water in the bathtub was so dirty that it was possible to kill a baby inside.
The roofs of the houses had no ceilings, and the wooden beams that held them were the best place for animals:
dogs, cats, rats, and beetles kept warm.
When it rained, leaks forced animals to jump to the ground.
Those who had money had tin plates. Certain types of food would oxidize the material, causing many people to die from poisoning.
Let us remember that the hygiene habits of the time were terrible.
Tomatoes, being acidic, were considered poisonous for a long time; tin cups were used to drink beer or whiskey; this combination sometimes left the individual "on the floor" (in a kind of narcolepsy induced by the mixture of alcohol with tin oxide).
Someone passing by the street would think they were dead, so they would pick up the body and prepare for the funeral.
Then the body would be placed on the kitchen table for a few days while the family watched, eating, drinking, and waiting to see if the dead person would wake up or not.
Hence the practice of watching over the dead (wake), which is the vigil beside the coffin.
England is a small country, where there was not always room to bury all the dead.
Then the coffins were opened, bones were extracted, placed in ossuaries, and the grave was used for another body.
Sometimes, upon opening the coffins, scratches were noticed on the inside of the lids, indicating that the dead man had, in fact, been buried alive.
Thus, upon closing the coffin, the idea arose to tie a strip from the wrist of the deceased, pass it through a hole made in the coffin, and tie it to a bell.
After the burial, someone would stay on duty beside the grave for a few days.
If the individual woke up, the movement of their arm would ring the bell.
And it would be "saved by the campaign," an expression used by us to this day.
Sources: Web
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