Lawsonia inermis, hina, and mehndi are the Latin, Arabic and Hindi names for a fairly large plant with white flowers that grows in North Africa, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. Several medicinal properties are attributed to this plant, including its powers against bruises, headaches, sore throats and skin diseases such as ringworm. The leaves have a cooling effect on the skin and have long been added as an ingredient to perfumed oils and ointments. However, its most familiar role is as the source of a reddish-brown natural dye. For centuries this plant has been used as a colourant for cotton, wool and silk and it continues to be very popular as hair dye and body paint, mostly on the hands and feet. Today this plant is best known by its Arabic name, henna.
It is not known for certain when and where the use of henna for skin decoration originated, but there is ample evidence that it is an ancient practice. In Egypt, traces of henna have been found on five-thousand-year-old mummies and in India cave paintings have been discovered depicting a princess with henna designs on her hands and feet. The prevailing theory is that the decorative application of henna began in Egypt. From there the custom is thought to have spread to the West as far as Morocco, and to the East as far as the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia.
Henna body decoration is generally practised on festive occasions, religious ceremonies and, most notably, weddings. In all cultures that practise henna painting it is the hands and feet that are commonly decorated; for weddings the designs can extend onto the arms and legs. For Islamic, Sephardic Jewish and Hindu marriages, brides, and sometimes also grooms, are adorned with patterns which are thought to bring good fortune. In some places it is believed that the deeper the hue of the henna, the happier the newly married couple will be.
Design motifs vary from culture to culture. For instance, in line with general Islamic doctrine, which excludes the depiction of people and animals, North African henna designs tend to be geometric or composed from highly stylized flowers. In the Middle East floral compositions also prevail. In some parts of Saudi Arabia large areas of the hands and feet are simply coloured with henna without any decorative motif.
Indian designs tend to have a central theme. Usually they are drawn within a square, rectangle or circle which is then surrounded by a myriad of smaller patterns that cover the hands and lower arms, the feet and ankles. Motifs are taken from a vast Indian decorative vocabulary: Moghul flowers, Paisley patterns, complicated tendril designs, stars, vines, spirals, leaves, checkerboards, water drops and waves. Often the intricate decoration can give the impression of delicate lace gloves.
As well as these small repeated patterns, larger, more figurative motifs are frequently used, such as lotus flowers, unripe mangoes, fans, elephants, butterflies, fish, parrots, peacocks, sweets and traditional musical instruments. Even Indian jewellery and watches have been included in the designs.
The fingers are covered with special linear motifs and the fingertips may be dipped in henna, staining the fingernails. Border motifs are applied around the wrist, ankles and footsoles.
The designs on the left and right hands are sometimes complementary, in the sense that the hands together from one design. In some cases they are mirrored, forming a bird or heart, in other cases, different patterns are used on the left and right hands.
Specific illustrations are used for wedding ceremonies. They include traditional symbols, such as the sedan chair in which the bride is carried from her house to the house of her in-laws; a pitcher containing holy water used in the ceremony; images of the bride and bridegroom; the peacock - a symbol of love; or the swastika - the ancient Indian symbol of well-being in the future. Although most often it is only the bride's hands that are decorated with henna in some regions in Bangladesh and Kashmir the hands of the groom are also decorated with motifs reserved for men.
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The traditional manner of applying henna is without the use of any tools. First, some paste is taken between the thumb and index finger. Next, a thread of henna is formed by moving the thumb and index finger back and forth several times. With this thread the design is drawn on the skin. This method requires a great deal of experience. Some cultures apply the henna with a stick, although the most practical method is to use a cone.
A completely different technique is to draw the designs with a paste made of sugar and lime juice. This paste is left to dry before the whole surface of the hand is covered with henna paste. When the lime is removed taking with it the henna paste, a white design remains on a red background.
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Recipes for henna paste vary. For this reason, only a general description is given here.
1
Sift the henna powder until it is very fine. It should not contain any twigs or lumps. Add a hot mixture of strong black tea or coffee, lemon juice (two spoonfuls of juice for one cup of coffee or tea) and mustard oil to the sifted henna. When the paste has a mud-like consistency, leave it to cool for at least one hour. If the mixture gets too dry, add some more of the tea/lemon/oil mixture. After forty-eight hours the paste is at its best.
2
Clean the skin before applying the henna design by washing with rose water or mustard oil. Apply the henna paste with a small stick, a syringe without a needle, or a small cone. Make sure that the tool you use does not touch the skin: only the thread of henna paste should make contact.
3
After the design is completed it should be left for four or five hours at least, and preferably overnight. Be careful not to damage it and, if necessary, cover it with cotton balls. To prevent the henna from cracking and falling off, it should be moistened with a solution of lemon juice and sugar from time to time. This will also help it reach a deeper colour.
4
When the paste has turned a dark red, rub the skin with mustard oil, scrape off the paste, wash the skin with water and rub it with oil again.
To deepen the colour even further, leave the design unwashed for twelve hours. Then, to preserve it, wash the skin as little as possible and avoid the use of soap. The applied motif should stay in good condition for two to four weeks, depending on the degree of use of the hands, feet, or part of the body marked.
* Do not use henna which is meant to dye hair as this will not be powerful enough to dye the skin. Make sure that henna powder you use is not too old because it loses strength over time. The ground henna leaves should be a bright green colour.
*Instead of mustard oil, other types of vegetal oils can be used, such as eucalyptus, lavender, clove, or olive oil.
TRADITIONAL HENNA DESIGNS (THE PEPIN PRESS)
