Why we like henna

I love henna. Why? I have several reasons. It is beautiful, it has so many variations that I am never bored with it, and the most important for me is that it lasts only for a short time. So for those who are scared by the thought of having permanent tattoos (like me), henna offers an attractive and easy opportunity. Another advantage of henna is that it is an inexpensive way of decorating one’s body and feeling beautiful.
I saw henna paintings first when I visited Qatar in 2000. I was amazed and I wanted it immediately. Now, that I live in Qatar, it is so natural for me that I almost always have henna paintings on my hands and legs.
The beginnings of henna painting can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Egypt. It always had a special meaning, symbolized female beauty, helped people, gave blessings and protection to them. Patterns always come down from one generation to another. Mankind made symbols representative of each culture and these appear in henna paintings too. In the Middle East, henna is connected to happiness, good wishes, good luck and a beautiful future. In other parts of the world, henna is so popular because it is unique and a kind of mystical. The meaning of the word henna can be different in every continent, but all of them have positive meanings wherever they appear in the world. It means luck, protection, purity, strength, wealth and health; as well as mercy, maturity and honour.
However, henna has been around for a long time and has been used for its colouring and nourishing properties, it is only over the past decade or so that henna paintings have emerged as the coolest accessories in the West. A long time ago henna paintings were made only for women during special ceremonies, while today men discovered henna for themselves too and use it as temporary tattoos. Traditional paintings cover the hands and legs, however we can sometimes see that the shoulders, the face, the navel as well as the whole body can serve as a ground for a unique artefact.

Read more about henna in English:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna
http://www.hennapage.com/


written by CS. O. Alma 's Hungarian friend living in Qatar




Henna Painting on Feet of Young Girl