the custom is well-documented in china, where it is known as "sitting the month". japanese women know it as ""sango no hidachi"" and koreans as ""samchilil"", which means "twenty-one". in latin american countries it is called "la cuarentena", i.e. "forty days" (the source of the english word "quarantine"). in india it is called "jaappa" (also transliterated "japa").