Kerala's Red Rain (2001)
In 2001, the Indian state of Kerala experienced two months of mysterious red rain containing cell-like particles capable of surviving extreme temperatures (90-300°C) and self-replicating without known DNA. This red rain metaphorically resonates with India's deep-rooted menstrual stigma, symbolically confronting taboos that deem menstruating women “impure” and exclude them from temples and public spaces. The crimson flood imagery also evokes the historical practice of female infanticide through drowning in China, particularly prevalent in Ming and Qing dynasties, highlighting how water and blood intertwine with gendered discrimination and violence across Asian cultures.
The Dancing Plague (1518)
In 1518, Frau Troffea began uncontrollably dancing in Strasbourg, triggering a bizarre epidemic affecting around 400 people, some of whom danced until they
died of exhaustion. Historians suspect ergot poisoning, caused by a fungus growing on rye that produces compounds similar to LSD. Ergot held a n ambivalent role in medieval society: midwives used i t medicinally t o stop postpartum bleeding, yet its toxicity later became evidence against them i n witch trials. During the plague, local authorities ordered affected dancers to wear red shoes blessed with holy water and visit St. Vitus's shrine—a ritual echoing Andersen's fairy tale "The Red Shoes," in which enchanted footwear forces continuous dancing even after amputation.