WHEN EUROPE LEARNT TO BATH

A book i read in school as a prerequisite in Literature led me to some amazing facts i would never have guessed, "She stoops to conquer' by Oliver Goldsmith". In reading that play, i understood that Europe, as a continent, had an aversion for taking their bath way back.

As surprising as it may sound, remember that summer is just a month or two, and winter takes half the year. Centuries ago, water was not as friendly as we perceive them. Lakes stayed frozen for most of the year, water was also scarce and streams and Rivers were the main sources. Having your bath outside was to be frozen, just as much as you would catch cold and fall ill.

Having regular baths were basically impossible in early Europe. It was a luxury afforded only by royalty and even then, not daily. Travelling the World was the key to opening that door for Europe. 

By the time Asia was explored through trade, cultural assimilation brought knowledge. The Chinese and Japanese made it a cultural thing for the heathen Europe to bath first before sitting for business negotiations.

So, suffice to say, Europe learnt to bath through association with the world. Now, we know to bath regularly is healthy and most advisable.