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Madonna, Sting, and Demi Moore have recently “discovered” what Hindu
brides have known for centuries: henna paste decorates the body with
temporary tattoos. Usually applied to the hands and feet, the body
becomes a canvas for patterns of scrolls, vines, or flowers that last
for a few weeks.Henna paste, or mendhi, takes from a few minutes
to a few hours to apply depending upon the bodily location and the
desired detail of the design. After the drawing with cones or syringes
is finished, the paste dries to allow the color to become absorbed by
the skin. While this takes only 10-15 minutes, the paste should be left
on the skin for another 6 hours to achieve the most lasting affect. A
sugar and lemon mixture dabbed on the dried mendhi deepens the final
color. When fully dry, the crust falls off on its own. Gentle toweling
removes any last bits. The tattoo lasts longer with moisture but
gradually lightens through natural exfoliation of the skin. Harsh
soaps, chlorine and commercial exfoliation speeds the fading of the
design. Celebrations, such as childbirth and birthdays, may
include mehndi, but it is Indian brides who traditionally display the
most elaborate designs covering their feet and hands. Applying the
paste is a celebratory pre-wedding ritual to bring love and good
fortune to the couple but it has neither religious nor sacred meaning.
Occasionally brides choose to mendhi much of their body and include the
name of their groom amongst the designs. It is his right and duty to
carefully search for it on the wedding night. In the Middle East,
mendhi days are spent getting to know women of the family as the
designs are applied. Females gather to adorn skin with the more casual
floral patterns inspired by Arabic art. It is a woman’s day to put away
household responsibilities and share a joyful activity with others of
her gender. Leaves
are ground into a paste and may be mixed with other ingredients such as
oil or tea. The resulting mash remains dark green or black even though
the stain is consistently reddish brown. Recipes for henna mixtures are
well-guarded family secrets for good reasons. Women want their family
members to have a deep, rich tattoo as tradition proclaims the bride
doesn’t do housework as long as her design can be seen. In addition,
how much your mother-in-law will love you correlates with the length of
time the mendhi remains.
The paste that has adorned so many women
comes from Lawsonia inermis, a small tree that grows in areas where the
minimum temperature is usually greater than 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lawsonia inermis is a thorny tree that needs about five years to mature
and produce leaves with useful levels of tannin. It grows better in
arid than in wet regions and tolerates extreme heat and long droughts.
Its origins as a tattoo paste can be traced to areas of Northern
Africa, the Middle East and India. Blossoms of the same tree have been
used in perfumes since 1500 BCE.
The use of this abundant plant
began in earnest when the desert people of India discovered its
“cooling” properties. By dipping their hands and feet into the mud or
paste made from the crushed leaves, they were able to keep their body
temperatures low as long as some color remained. In the arid heat of
their desert environment, this was indeed a fortuitous discovery!
From
this general application came more specific ones. Women found that a
large central dot in the palm cooled as well as staining the entire
hand or foot. This rudimentary design was embellished with dots around
the center which evolved into the use of increasingly pleasing designs.
In
addition to being used to apply temporary tattoos, henna has been used
to color wool, silk, animal skins and men’s beards. Mummies dating to
1200 B.C. show evidence of henna use on hair and nails of pharaohs.
Today the deep-colored paste is used by women to give luster to their
hair as well as hide the grey.
When an Indian woman asks her
husband if he has mendhi on his hands, it doesn’t mean she really
thinks he is decorated with reddish-brown body art below his wrists.
She is referring to her bridal days when she wasn’t expected to work
while the mendhi could still be seen and is asking if this is also HIS
reason for laziness...
Sandra
Wilson is an author, teacher and international lecturer. While teaching
in India she made several trips to the Taj Mahal, the focus of her
historical novel, TAJ. For more information, visit her website at
http://www.taj-womanandwonder.com
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