Henna designs most popularly known as mehndi designs, mehndi or henna tattoos, a popular culture in India, Pakistan, Africa and Gulf. It is applied on hands and legs during any special occasion, celebration times like weddings, festivals, and ceremonies. Therefore, every woman wants to apply the design as a part of celebration and luck. It is also a form of decoration especially for brides.
From the earlier times Mehndi is prepared from the plant called “HENNA (an arabic word).” Some historians suggest that the culture of mehndi art in India was introduced by Moghuls, whereas there are few people who suggest henna is a 5000 year old culture in the country. To prepare the mehndi, the leaves of henna are crushed into fine powder and then water is added; other natural items such as lemon, etc can also be added to increase the color.
It is mostly treated as a female or women art, but men also apply henna on their hands. For example in the weddings of Moguls, it is applied on the hands of both bride and groom.
Mehndi design is also known as an art of body painting. In the olden times it was made at homes but these days, it is ready to use and easily available in the market as “mehndi cones” or “henna cones.” There are varieties of henna available including normal brown, cone, black, red, and sparkles.
To conclude mehndi is loved worldwide and many countries have made a mark in the history of henna. In fact, it is named after the region such as – Indian mehndi, Arabic mehndi, African mehndi, Irani or Persian mehndi, Pakistani, Punjabi, Rajasthani, etc.
Henna
Henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus Lawsonia.
Henna can also refer to the temporary body art resulting from the staining of the skin from the dyes (see also mehndi). After henna stains reach their peak color, they hold for a few days, then gradually wear off by way of exfoliation, typically within one to three weeks.
Henna has been used since antiquity in ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush to dye skin, hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool and leather. Historically, henna was used in the Indian subcontinent, Arabian Peninsula, Near and Middle East, Carthage, other parts of North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
The name “henna” is used in other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna and neutral henna, neither of which is derived from the henna plant.
