Mehndi or mehendi is a body art form from Ancient India, where decorative designs are made on a person's body, using a paste, made from dried powdered leaves from a henna plant ( Lawsonia inermis ). The ancient origins, mehndi are still a popular body art form among the Indian, African and Middle Eastern Indian sub-continents.
Mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit Mendhik? . The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in early Vedic Hindu ritual books. It was originally used only for the palm of a woman's hand and sometimes for men, but as time went on, it was more common for men to wear it. Haldi (staining itself with turmeric paste) and mehndi is a Vedic custom, which is meant to be a symbolic representation of the outer and the inner sun. The Vedic custom is centered on the idea of ââ"awakening the inner light". The traditional Indian design is a representation of the sun in the palm of the hand, which, in this context, is meant to represent the hands and feet.
There are many variations including Arabic, Indian and Pakistani designs. Women usually apply mehndi designs to their hands and feet, although some, including cancer patients and women with alopecia sometimes decorate their scalp. The standard henna color is brown, but other design colors like white and gold are sometimes used.
While there is some controversy about the origin of the use of pacar leaf powder as a dying agent, the earliest clear evidence of the application of powdered girlfriends on the body appears in Egyptian mummies whose hair and nails are tinged with a reddish-brown tone from a boyfriend. Botanists believe the boyfriend, Lawsonia inermis, comes from Egypt and is brought regularly to India where it is used since at least 700 AD to decorate hands and feet. Historically henna has also been used for medicinal purposes, to dye cloth and skin and hair, to color horsehair manes and other fur.
Practiced primarily in Indian Subcontinent, mehndi is an application of temporary skin decorating, popularized in the West by Indian cinema and entertainment industry, people in Nepal, Bangladesh and Maldives also use mehndi. Mehndi's decor became a fad in the West in the late 1990s, where they were called henna tattoos.
Mehndi in Indian tradition is usually applied during special Hindu weddings and Hindu festivals such as Karva Chauth, Vat Purnima, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and Teej. Hindu festivals, many women wearing henna on their hands and feet and sometimes on the back of their shoulders as well, as the man to implement it in the arms, legs, back, and chest. For women, usually drawn on the palms, backs of the hands and feet, where the design will be the most obvious because of the contrast with lighter skin on this surface, which naturally contains less pigment melanin. Some Muslims in Indian subcontinent also apply Mehndi during festivals such as Idul Fitri and Eid al-Adha.
In modern times and even because of the limited supply of Indian Traditional Mehndi artists, people usually buy a ready-made Henna cone, ready to use and make paintings easy. However, in rural India, women grind the leaves of fresh girlfriends on grinding stones with supplementary oil, which although not as pure as henna cones are professionally made, achieves a much darker color.
The term henna tattoo is figurative, since the actual tattoo is the permanent insertion of pigments into the skin, as opposed to the pigment that rests on the surface as well as the mehndi.
Alta, Alata, or Mahur is a red dye used similar to a boyfriend to paint bridal feet in several areas of India, for example in Bengal.
Perhaps out of a desire for a "black-tattooed" appearance, some people add synthetic p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) dye to the girlfriend to give her a black color. PPD can cause severe allergic reactions and was selected as Allergen of the Year in 2006 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.
Video Mehndi
Tradition
Mehndi is a ceremonial art form originating from the ancient Indian continent. This is usually applied during the wedding - for the bride. In Rajasthan, the grooms are given a design that is often complicated as for the bride. In Assam, apart from marriage, it is widely used by unmarried women during Rongali bihu.
Muslims in Afghanistan have also begun using it as an indication of age. In the Middle East and Africa, it is common for women to use girlfriends for their finger nails and toe nails and their hands.
Maps Mehndi
Process
Henna paste is usually applied to the skin using a plastic cone, paint brush or stick. After about 15-20 minutes, the mud will dry and begin to crack, and during this time, a mixture of lemon juice and white sugar can be applied over the henna design to ease the henna sludge so that the henna will stain darker. The painted area is then wrapped with tissue, plastic, or medical tape to lock body heat, creating a more intense color on the skin. Wrap (not traditional method), worn for two to six hours, or sometimes overnight, and then removed. When first removed, the design of the girlfriend is pale to dark orange and gradually darkened through oxidation, for 24 to 72 hours. The last color is reddish brown and can last anywhere from one to three weeks depending on the quality and type of henna paste applied, as well as where it is applied to the body (thicker skin is darker and longer than thin skin). Moisturizing with natural oils, such as olives, sesame seeds, or coconut, will also help extend the life of the stain. Exfoliation causes henna tattoos to fade.
Mehndi in Marriage
Traditional Hindu or Sikh marriages in India can often be a long, ritualistic and complicated affair with many pre-wedding, wedding and post-marriage ceremonies. Different countries and regions of a country celebrate the ceremonies in different ways according to their own marriage, ritual, and cultural habits.
According to Hindu tradition, the ceremony is mainly held in the bride's house or in the banquet hall on the night of the wedding ceremony or a few days before the wedding. Generally the bride and groom attend the event together and on that occasion a professional mehndi artist or a relative apply mehndi on bridal hands and feet. The design is very complicated. Often hidden in a mehndi pattern, the name or initials of the groom are applied. The event generally has a festive celebration feel with women dancing and singing traditional songs and girls wearing bright colors like hot pink and yellow, often if the bride wants to tease a groom she will make her wear purple. The groom usually wears jutti instead of western footwear.
In Pakistan, Mehndi's ceremony is called Rasm-e-Heena and is often one of the most important pre-marriage ceremonies, celebrated by the bride's family. In Bangladesh, Mehndi's ceremony has traditionally been split into two events; one arranged by the family of the bride and one, by the family of the bridegroom. The Mehndi ceremony takes place outside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh among the South Asian community and places like Birmingham in England are a famous place for the fancy Mehndi celebration.
See also
- Henna
- Alta âââ ⬠<â â¬
- Body painting
- Temporary tattoos
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia