Syncretism. It’s when two opposing forces and principles try to fuse so that a working model emerges; usually, complete fusion is impossible and what results is a different structure taken from the two disparate components.

There are many factors that go into structuring a culture’s society. Much like many post-colonial literatures from nations that were once under British rule, the sexual traditions of each culture is varied and unique. Imagine the influence of modern Western religious belief of monotheism combined with the ancient Greeks’ belief of many gods. An attempt to reconcile the two philosophies—even if it’s only half-successful—would give birth to an entirely different entity. Religion is only one aspect of a culture. Throw in the nation’s traditional garb, ethnic food, moral values, history of conquest, institutions, and you have a smorgasbord of possible sexual outcomes.

Sex, apart from other basic necessities like food and water, is what every culture has in common. Yet, each culture’s sexual practices—whether courting rituals, preference for foreplay, or the extensive use of sex toys during intercourse—don’t appear out of thin air on a whim. As much as humans are driven by the need to create—whether babies or ideas—anthropologists will tell you there are other forces at work.

Sex in Each Culture is a column designed to delve into the sexual history of a chosen culture. Some of what we discover may be old wives’ tales that turned out to be true; other facts may lead to wonderful epiphanies and just might enlighten the ordinary reader in a titillating way. Either way, the deeper we go, the more rewarding it’ll be.