The
beauty ofmehendi
It’s fun, temporary and
trendy and it’s for everyone. Ishani Ranasinghe discovers
the art and the history behind one of the world’s oldest fashion
trends... mehendi
Mehendi... It’s
all about expres-sions. Madonna has done it, Liv Tyler has got it....
my friends got it done - okay, that might not really be significant,
but what I was trying to point out was that more and more people
are embracing the ‘mehendi culture’, as many would like
to call it.
In
recent popular culture, mehendi has enjoyed a renewal. People have
adopted and altered the tradition so that mehendi, as a temporary,
pain-free body decoration, alternative to tattooing is now the hottest
new trend among women.
The
appeal?
It’s painless, cool, fun, no needles, just a paste
and most importantly it’s temporary. What was in this month
might be out the next, so with mehendi a lifetime commitment (like
real tattoos) is not necessary as the designs fade within one to
four weeks.
No
regrets
Mehendi is temporary, so it’s almost like a no-regret
tattoo. And for most of us who are too scared to endure the prick
of a needle, mehendi is a wonderful alternative. Anyone hesitant
about getting a permanent tattoo, can try walking around with a
henna design for a couple of weeks first. Henna also allows you
to play around with designs until you find one that you are comfortable
with and then you can get it permanently etched into your skin if
you want to. Some people like permanency while others are much more
comfortable with temporary forms of body art. Regardless of how
you use henna to decorate your body the main idea is to have fun.
Mehendi
traditions
The process of applying henna in this manner is called
‘mehendi’, an ancient ritual and art form dating back
5,000 years and is considered good luck in India, the Middle East
and North Africa. Mehendi is an ancient Indian body art used in
creating intricate, ethnic or contemporary designs and exotic patterns.
Traditionally it was applied to the hands and feet of women preparing
for special ceremonies, although now it is not so anymore. The art
of mehendi is referred to as henna, mehndi or mehandi, depending
on where you are and which name you feel came first (or are most
comfortable using). No matter what you call it, the art form remains
essentially the same as it was centuries ago.
A
bit of history...
The history of henna use may not yet exist in a single
volume, but references, allusions and clues are scattered through
books on art, history, sociology, poetry, religion, mythology and
other subjects. Henna has been used to decorate the skin and hair
for nearly 5,000 years and has been found on the hands and feet
of Egyptian mummies! The exact place of its origin is difficult
to trace because centuries of people from different cultures moved
through the continents, taking their art forms with them and therefore
sharing their art with everyone along the way. Patterns vary from
culture to culture. In India, hands and feet are covered in intricate,
lacy designs. In North Africa, more geometric patterns are preferred.
What is henna?
The henna used for mehendi comes from a bush called Lawsonia Inermis
which is part of the loose strife family and is grown in the Sudan,
Egypt, India, most of the North African counties, the Middle East
and other hot and dry places. The bush is also grown in Florida
and California for its ornamental appearance and often grows to
be quite large, ranging from six to twenty feet in some cases. The
lance-shaped leaves from the bush are harvested, dried and then
crushed to make the henna powder.
Henna
designs
Henna designs have traditionally fallen into four different
styles. The Middle Eastern style is mostly made up of floral patterns
similar to the Arabic textiles, paintings and carvings and do not
usually follow a distinctive pattern. The North African style generally
follows the shape of the hands and feet using geometrical floral
patterns. The Indian and Pakistani designs encompass more than just
the feet and hands and generally extend further up to give the illusion
of gloves and stockings which are made up of lines, paisley patterns
and teardrops. Lastly, the Indonesian and Southern Asian styles
were a mix of Middle Eastern and Indian designs using blocks of
colour on the very tips of the toes and fingers. All of these styles
remain popular today but have also been joined by Celtic designs
and Chinese symbols. The point once again is to have fun with designs
and experiment with them until you find something that you feel
really passionate about.
I
thought mehendi was only used at weddings...
If this has been your train of thought you are quite right.
No Indian wedding is ever complete without the mehendi ceremony.
Whichever part of the country the bride may be from, her hands are
adorned with the lovely red hue of the mehendi. In India, henna
is used at celebrations like weddings and other special occasions,
which are traditionally associated with transcendence and transformation.
It is traditional for the bride to get together with her friends
and have them spend hours applying the henna to her skin. The patterns
used for weddings are much more intricate and time consuming (than
the everyday wear). The bride’s henna must be more beautiful
and intricate than anyone else’s since it is, after all, her
special day. Another interesting fact is that the bride has good
reason to look after her henna for she is not expected to partake
in housework until the henna is gone... an excellent excuse or what?
But today, mehendi is for everyone.
Where
to get it done
You might not really have the time to make the henna paste
and if you feel you are not too confident, you always have the option
of getting it done professionally. While looking out for people
who do mehendi I came across Rashida Mohsinally. Watching her at
work I was amazed at how easy she makes it look. Her designs are
intricate and eye catching requiring a lot of patience and creativity.
“The time it takes for me to do this depends on what the customer
wants,” she says adding that sometimes it takes hours but
if it’s just the palms she can do it in half an hour. Like
everyone else she too has her own recipe for henna, and according
to her you do not have to stay that long for it to dry.
Do-it-yourself
mehendi
There are a huge number of henna recipes available if
you are interested in making your own. You might want to try mixing
up a recipe right from the start or buy it, depending on what you
decide is best.
Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of henna in a bowl. Henna might stain your
bowl so you may prefer using a bowl that you aren’t really
attached to, eating your salad or cereal out of.
Boil a cup of water.
Put 2 teabags in the boiled water and leave them in for about
5 minutes.
Add 4 to 6 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the
henna powder and mix it well. The mixture should look more like
cookie dough than cake mix.
Add
the hot tea to the henna and lemon juice mixture slowly so that
is doesn’t lump.
The
mixture should have approximately the consistency of icing when
it comes out of a decorating tube.
Cover the mixture over and let it sit for about 5 hours.
You
can plan a design on your own or you can buy stencils for this purpose.
Be warned though that you can’t ‘erase’ it easily
if you make a ‘boo boo’; but since it isn’t permanent,
you can start over again when it fades (no harm done). You can use
q-tips or cones that are specifically made for this purpose, or
you can get plastic squeeze bottles and use them for the application
of the henna.
If
you want the henna to last for some time, you will need to keep
it on for as long as possible. After enough time has passed, you
can take the henna off using your fingers or gently rub it off with
an implement that you are comfortable with. Try not to use soap
on the hennaed parts for at least a day (two is better) and be gentle
with it. You can gently rinse it with water if you like, but don’t
rub it. It’ll stay with you for much longer that way. Go ahead!
Mix up some paste or buy it and have a blast trying out all sorts
of designs!
Or
even better, throw a mehendi party and invite a bunch of your best
pals over. Don’t be discouraged if you try it and it doesn’t
work out. Just keep at it, be glad that it is only temporary, and
don’t settle for mediocrity...be great! |
