The Christian Church has always treated intimate relationships with condemnation, considering them "shameful". She attributed them to animal instincts, impermissible for man. Sex even between husband and wife was allowed only for the sake of the couple having children. Nudity, especially female nudity, was condemned and prohibited.
Pagan liberties
With the birth of Christianity in Russia, nudity became not just forbidden, it became strictly taboo. There were many reasons for this. Many historical sources claim that before Christianity, in Russia, intimate life was quite free, and sometimes it reached the point of debauchery. This can be judged by some of the rituals that were of an erotic nature. Often in these rituals, it was necessary to be naked. The well-known pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala can serve as an example. It was believed that on the night of this holiday one could see a blooming fern. To do this, it was necessary to be naked.
The pagans believed that female nudity saved villages from epidemics. At this time, they had to go around them naked, driving away all ailments from the villages. And to protect her home, the woman stripped naked and in this form poured grain around her house.
There was such a ritual: if a woman could not get pregnant, then she had to sleep naked on a moonlit night or walk under the sun through a field in a similar form during the day. In order for mother earth to give a rich harvest, the girls went around all the fields naked, as if sharing childbearing with the earth.
As for the men, they did not stand aside either. In order for the earth to bear fruit well, they undressed and rolled on it naked. They performed intercourse directly in the fields on the ground or imitated them. And if there was no rain, then the girls bare their genitals in order to excite the sky. Aroused, it should have sent them rain. In order to be always beautiful and young, girls bathed naked in the dew in the morning.
Christian prohibitions
Christianity tried to rid people of pagan habits (to wean them). Nudity began to be considered a great sin and was allowed only when bathing in the baths. The coming era of the ban on nudity did not even allow spouses to undress in front of each other.
The woman had no right to take off her shirt even at night.
As for the night, even the pagans avoided sleeping naked at this time. They believed that a naked person was completely vulnerable at night. Dark forces can take advantage of his nakedness and defenselessness by taking possession of him. And, seduced by a woman's body, evil spirits could move into it.
Ban in other countries
The ban on nudity existed not only in Russia, but also in many other European countries. In Muslim states, especially for women, it is even stricter. They are not only forbidden to bare their bodies, but also to show any parts of it, even their hands. It follows that different religions have one historical root.
So, our ancestors had plenty of reasons to ban the naked body.
