Henna:
An Ancient Art with Modern Appeal
by Michelle Dawson T
he use of henna as body art has enjoyed an impres- sive renaissance and it seems as though this naturally charming form of art never goes out of style. Henna is
a desert shrub plant that is native to tropical and subtropi- cal regions of Africa and southern Asia. The art of adorning the body utilizing the dye released from this plant is called Mehndi. Henna painting has been celebrated for thousands of years. Wherever henna grows, people have found uses for it; the allure of the multi-faceted uses of this plant is that it is functional, spiritual, and ornamental.
Add some pizzazz to your next birthday party, bachelorette event,
baby shower, blessing way, festival or celebration by hiring a henna artist. Some of its earliest uses for beautification can be traced
back to around 1200 BC where the Egyptians were known to color their fingernails and hair. Because henna is a blood coolant, it was used in North Africa to coat the feet of tribes- man trekking across the scorching desert floor. It was also used to treat heat exhaustion and to bring down the fever of a sick person. Mehndi has been an important part of wed- ding ceremonies in India; the hands and feet of the bride are decorated by professional henna artists called Hannayas. It is
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a common belief that henna brings good luck. Because of the auspiciousness of the plant, it was often included in rituals that celebrated rites of passage. The agreed upon suspicion was that henna blessed the initiation rites because specific deities responsible for prosperity and growth dwelled in the patterning and designs. It was assumed that the darker the stain of the henna painting, the more prosperous the passage. Henna re-emerged across North Africa in the last three
decades as both an expression of folkloric heritage and as an economic enterprise for women working in the tourist sec- tor. As demand for henna has increased, the henna industry improved cultivation and processing. Improved product increased the potential for henna artistry to span the globe. Henna is one of the hottest trends that have come from the Eastern world. We can thank pop icon Madonna for its resur- gence in the West. She sported a—at the time—very foreign seeming Om pattern on the palms of her hands in her video Frozen. Since then, the henna artist has, again, been in high demand.
Michelle Dawson owns The Body Art Studio located in his- toric Chester. She books parties at the studio, paints private sessions and hosts bi-weekly henna events. For more informa- tion, visit
BodyArtByMichelle.com or
Facebook.com/bodyart- bymichelle.
People are interested in the experience of being painted. Besides its inherent healing properties, there is something very intimate and magical about being adorned by this ancient plant. It is the earthy and ancient smell of the henna that intoxicates people and keeps them wanting more. The henna experience has become an opportunity to articulate an inner state and to accelerate transformation.
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