From Morocco to India and the world: the women, but also men of all ages have used the leaves of Lawsonia inermis to beautify one's body. The first historical evidence of the use of henna, to beautify the human body dates back to Neolithic times, the 7th millennium BC in present day Turkey, only to reappear later in Ugarit in Syria with the first written records.
Started between Muslim customs from the sixth century AD, the henna or henna followed the Muslim expansion, and this was widely used in Spain until the Inquisition forbade the cultivation in 1567. The magnificent era designs fell into disuse in Europe until the twentieth century, while in North Africa and the Middle East enjoyed broad support to the same era, when women chose to abandon them to emulate western women but, in the meantime, preparing to retrieve them.
In India, these decorations are called Mehndi and their tradition is unbroken, from the ladies and deities depicted in the frescoes of Ajanta Caves, 400 AD to the present day. Tradition has it that it applied the day before the wedding during the mehndi ceremony, in fact, that is an integral part of the wedding, whatever the religious affiliation of the bride and is a kind of bachelorette party, a real city in India today and their own party with all the friends and relatives of his girlfriend that while the designs are created on hands, arms, feet and legs, singing traditional songs or dance choreography imitated from Bollywood hits, but any celebration or party is a good reason for the Mehndi, in India.
Today they are available for sale also forms preprinted adhesive plastic, sort of stencyls applicable on the body and can be covered with the henna paste, which is sold in cones ready for this purpose. Once dry the pasta, the stencyl is removed as the residue of henna dry and remain on the body of an intricate design, but will have little in common with the sophisticated art freehand local professionals.
It is believed that the darker the color will be obtained deeper love that bind the couple, but according to other versions malignant reveal that instead of the bride's mother is happy to be rid of her. Sometimes, among the arabesques are submitted by the initials of boyfriend: challenge will be to find a good way to break the ice after the wedding ceremony, between spouses who still sometimes never before had the opportunity to be alone. But even in this innocent game hides a trap of tradition: it says that if he can not find them, it will mean that it will not be him to wear the pants in the house.
The dancers of Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of India, henna paint large circles on the palms of the hands and feet, as well as to cover the entire first joint of each finger. While the design applied to the skin fades in a few days, varying depending on the frequency and intensity of the washes to which it is subjected, as well as depending on the composition of the paste of henna lemon juice helps the persistence and intensity of the coloring. It is good to remember that on the nails, as well as on the hair, the dye is absorbed instead in an almost indelible and entirely eliminated only with regrowth.
Nowadays the traditional designs are enriched with the addition of iridescent dust or diamonds, or with the technique called Zardosi the name of a classic type of embroidery and which provides that the profile of the drawings to be made before the black henna and that at a later time, these are used with the classic red. But are products that, if not certain origin, can cause allergies and heavy consequences.
The beauty of these temporary tattoos meant that the tradition is maintained intact in India to this day and which are greater boundaries, revive it back even at home among the younger generation; rock stars like Madonna, Bjork and Beyonce have exhibited over the years past intricate arabesques made with the 'henna and now also on our beaches has for years offered for very little money and sometimes even less certainty sanitation, application of the same, often even on children. Beware of black henna: as mentioned, can cause severe dermatitis .
The tattoo henna, a plant with medicinal qualities, are a centuries-old tradition in India and inevitable in many festivals, both Hindu and Muslim. Among the many ceremonies of the complex Indian matriomony, there is also the ritual of mehndi (henna), in which the young future bride surrounded by her friends and by the women of the family is tattooed with henna.
While the more experienced among the present or a professional adorns the hands and feet with henna paste, older women introduce her to the world of love, revealing the secrets to being a good wife and instructing her on how to behave in order to please the husband. The more intricate the design of the tattoo, the longer the execution, the greater the knowledge transmitted.
You need not be married to be able to get henna tattoos. Most of the girls learned this art since childhood and in many resorts can you tattoo your hands for a fee. In the period preceding diwali many schools and associations organize mehndi competitions. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, you can offer your hands to the contenders and have beautiful designs, but you can not decide models. Sit for an hour letting the delicate thread of pasta you adorn your palms is very nice, if you like the smell of henna. If you then choose to make the mehndi in a small beauty salon, or better yet, a friend's house Indian tattoo becomes a splendid occasion to chat in female intimacy.
The tattoo lasts from two to four weeks, fading slowly. Once you have finished the application you have to wait at least a couple of hours for it to dry and after removal it is best to avoid washing with soap until the next day, to allow the design to be fixed on the skin. The orange color of the design is finished and just gets darker in the following days.
The implementation requires experience and good manual. pasta is prepared by mixing in a metal bowl or glass, natural henna powder with water until the mixture is the consistency of toothpaste. You have to let the dough rest for at least 12 hours. Add sugar and lemon juice promotes better grip and fixing of color, especially in cold, dry climates. To trace the design using the plastic cones that are filled with pasta. Smaller the slit, can be more delicate design. In India there are commercially cones henna paste ready to have almost completely replaced the preparation of the mixture.
There are endless designs patterns. In India, almost nothing is devoid of symbolic value, so many of the motifs have meaning accurate, although most of the times the choice of tattoo is purely aesthetic. A checkerboard pattern indicates the possibility of the game and is on the hands of the newly married brides, just entered a new phase of their existence.
The peacock symbolizes beauty, while the swan success. The birds are generally seen through the intermediary between the earth and the sky. Dragonflies and butterflies are symbols of rebirth and change. Petals and flowers stand for happiness and joy, instead of leaves and vines are symbols of devotion and vitality, and are suitable for tattoos from marriage. Drawings of eyes are meant to repel the evil eye. The paisley motifs, as well as being very beautiful decoratively represent fertility and good luck.
The advantage of mehndi is its impermanence, you can choose different tattoos from time to time, experiment with combinations of motifs or symbols that follow are suitable to your current situation. Be patient before you remove the dry henna from the skin, so that the color can achieve the maximum intensity.
There is a proverb that says: The darker the mehindi, your mother-in-law will love you more. Perhaps it is not so fundamental, but in India the new bride often go to be by-laws, a good relationship with the mother's husband is not only essential to live peacefully, but also an effective strategy to win the heart of the groom. More maliciously once during a wedding women have observed the color of the tattoo on my hands, trying to understand the intensity of the red if I was married and when my husband was passionate.
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