The History of henna
is a tough one. There are many conflicting stories about
where the first hennaas
used. However as a plant it has been around for centuries
in a variety of hot climes and continues to be used in
both traditional Hindi and Muslim countries as well as
in the west for a temporary alternative to a life-long
permanent tattoo. Countries where henna can be found
include Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Persia, Morocco, Egypt
and India.
The colour of the henna stain varies depending upon country
of origin and the quality of plant there grown. The henna
that we as a company sell originates from Rajasthan India
and gives a dark brown-red color in contrast to many
of the Arabian hennas which have a far redder hue. The
natural
dyeing properties in henna are tannins .
Henna has a variety of names including Mehndi (Hindi),
Henna (Arabic) or Lawsonia Inermis (Latin). Other
synonyms include Henna, Mehandi , Mehndi , Al-Khanna
, Al-henna
, Jamaica Mignonette , Egyptian Privet and Smooth
Lawsonia .
Henna is a small shrub with small, dark green scented
leaves. The leaves are dried and ground down into
a powder which
is finely sieved two or more times through a fine
nylon cloth. These filtering process results in removing
the
coarse fibres from the powder , making what is left
finer and easier to use.
The art form of henna application
varies from one religion to the next. These varying
designs meaning
different
things to each culture, such as good health, fertility,
wisdom
and spiritual enlightenment. It spans different
cultures and religious traditions, thus the
country of origin easily recognizable. Arabic henna
designs are generally large, floral patterns on
the hands and
feet. Indian henna designs are made up of fine,
thin lines for
lacy, floral and paisley patterns covering entire
hands, forearms, feet and shins. African henna
patterns are
bold, large geometric shapes, usually black . After
the henna
paste is removed Africans apply a blackish paste
of ashes, ammonia compounds and other corrosives
to get
the henna
stain to turn out blackish. This is poisonous and
certainly not recommended, as there have been reported
deaths
from this procedure. We can only assume the reason
they would
go to these risky lengths is the natural color
of the henna stains, dark brown to dark orange, does
not show
up as
well on very dark skin.
Henna has some exceptional
qualities. Did you know that it has cooling properties,
is a great conditioner
and staining
qualities? If you have ever died your hair with
henna powder you would feel your scalp and head
to be cold.
In India
in the summer the soles of feet are painted with
henna to cool the sunbaked populous. Likewise
when henna is applied
to the skin as for a tattoo, again the skin feels
cool.
From ENCYCLOPEDIA of the ORIENT:
Henna
Arabic: henna
Henna is a cosmetic paste that is used solely for decoration,
and is not connected to any health problems. Henna
comes from the leaves of the plant with the same name.
These are crushed into a green powder that is being
sold in suqs all over the Arab world. To this powder
, water is added, so that it becomes dough that is put
onto the body. After leaving the dough on the body for
some time, up to 2 hours, a deep orange color is left
on the skin that will slowly fade away over a period
of 2-3 weeks. The henna is often arranged to intricate
patterns , and it is the hands and the feet that are
decorated.
Henna is used almost only by women, and
is in our days used by women that are in the age where
beautifying is
natural young women that are ready to get married,
or women who have a romantic relationship with their husbands.
Henna is considered very sensual by both men and women,
even if the henna is applied to the parts of the body
that are exposed in public. This also applies to married
women.
Henna is also used for dying hair, but
is seldom used for coloring other items, like clothes.
From the OXFORD DICTIONARY of CURRENT
ENGLISH:
Henna
Tropical Shrub
Reddish dye made from it and used to color hair
Interesting Fact
In India henna is also a way for a bride and groom to
get to know each other before an arranged marriage. A
variety of traditions underlie the use of henna, including
wedding games and legends. For example, the groom's name
is usually written somewhere within the bride's henna,
if he cannot find his name within the intricate design,
the bride is said to have the control in the marriage.
Also a dark henna design for both bride and groom signifies
that the two will have a strong relationship. Also the
longevity issue is particularly important to the bride
because she doesn't have to do any household work during
the period she bears her wedding henna designs the honeymoon
period becomes the henna-moon period! This is probably
the first and last time in her life that she'll be a
lady of leisure so she does make an effort to preserve
the work for as long as possible.
ARABIAN MOONS
The following text has been taken from "Passages
in Time through the Yemen", written by Maria & Pascal
Marechaux.
A wedding is a chance for each one to reveal her natural
beauty without shame and to boast her talent for enhancing
it. It is as though butterflies of blinding colors had
suddenly burst forth from the grey cocoons that litter
the mountainside. Artfully coifed hair, make-up, a special
wardrobe, layers of jewellery: the metamorphosis is spectacular,
the hunger after prestige and taste for flamboyance,
universal.
Like walking showcases, women so adorned
flaunt the wealth of the men to whom they are bound.
These riches, though,
are also a sign of a womans cleverness, her ability
to save, even small amounts, from her own business affairs
and strict budgeting of a modest income.
The disproportionate amount of attention
paid to a womans face and hair is made all the more obvious
by
her slight
figure. Woollen hairpieces, up to two meters long,
add volume to a woman's already thick tresses, tamed
by generous
applications of sesame or apricot oil, then powdered
with seashell ground to a fine dust. Hair not tucked
up under an embroidered cap, tumbles in tight coils
that rest on her shoulders. A lacework braid reaching
down
to the small of the back offsets her weighty and elaborate
coiffure.
Like the lush, green foliage of a healthy plant, the
opulence of a woman's hair is an indication of her
fertility; braided hairpieces worn by elderly women
are thin and
ragged.
The liquid paste used as make-up owes
it smooth consistency and bright saffron-yellow hue to
turmeric, grown nearby
on the Tihamah plain, to its fresh rhizomes ground
with diligence and care. So highly prized are the colour
and
overall effect, that a woman will often daub the paint
over her entire body and use it to tint the embroidery
on her clothes. It is also valued for its protective
properties, which act against harms both physical (skin-damaging
sun and wind of high altitudes, over-exposure to delicate
silk embroidery threads) and metaphysical: it is believed
to temper to woman's beauty, to render her less than
perfect, thus less vulnerable to evil.
Dark lines traced with kohl along the
inside of her eyelids deepen a woman�s
gaze, while here and there an intense black tar-like
vegetable substance
accentuates the natural lines of her face.
Lavishly adorned, the head has yet
to receive its crowning glory. Jewels, as many as can
be had, are applied with
little regard for appropriateness: shiny earrings
glint along the curves of thickly piled tresses; necklaces
are fashioned into tiaras. The slightest movement
jars
strands of fine chain and clusters of tiny bells
begin to tinkle. Leaves stuck like wormwood to an already
bold palate of colours.
Unlike custom in other parts of Yemen,
the bride does not forsake her usual routine to prepare
for
what lies
ahead. Until the very last moment, she diligently
attends to domestic chores.
Come the designated day, an imparting
of henna signals a 'new beginning'. An older woman of
the
village,
known for her expertise in the matter, will use
her dextrous
tongue to mix small amounts of paste in her mouth,
then apply it in strips to areas of the feet
and hands destined
for decoration.
Three hours later, the skin is infused
with the rich reddish brown of henna, made even darker
by a little
phosphate added to the mixture. At once the
symbol
of blood and fire, henna represents the ambiguous
nature of all things holy. But, above all,
it is the symbol
of life, with no role in funeral ceremonies,
no use for
a widow. Instead, it is saved for youths that
encounter death before knowing marriage, to
prepare them
for mystical unions, in heaven The bloodthirsty
jinn
are on the rampage
and it is better avoiding lingering at night
in solitary places, with feet and hands freshly
painted.
The
left hand, used for personal hygiene, is more
elaborately decorated than the right, its purification
a top
priority.
The day after, an outsider in the village
would have no trouble guessing that an important
event has just
taken place. Goats sniff disinterestedly
at a few twiglike remnants of qat rolling in the
dirt
outside
the stable,
cleared areas of ground 'the men's makeshift
dance floor ' stand out along the landscape.
Paint on
the women's
faces and on their hands is left to fade
away with time: a few days for turmeric and vegetable
pastes,
a week
for cinnabar, delicate patterns traced on
hands
and feet with khidab and henna will remain
for a month
or two,
on nails even longer.
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