Red-light district

A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution is a common part of everyday life. The term was first recorded in the United States and derives from the practice of placing a red light in the window to indicate to customers the nature of the business. ^{[citation needed]}

There are several explanations as to why red lights gained this particular meaning. According to one theory, it is based on the Biblical story of Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho who aided the spies of Joshua and identified her house with a scarlet rope. ^{[citation needed]}

Others claim that it comes from the red lanterns carried by railway workers, which were left outside brothels when the workers entered, so that they could be quickly located for any needed train movement. ^[1]

One of the many terms used for a red-light district in Japanese is akasen (赤線), literally meaning "red-line", apparently of independent origins from the English term. In different cultures red-light districts are identified differently, the most common being "district of prostitutes" (i.e. in Hindi - Randi Guli or Street of Prostitutes; in Bengali - Khanki Para or Neighbourhood of Prostitutes.

See also