The Ancient and Beautiful Art of Henna Tattooing

Henna has been used to paint women’s bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations dating back to prehistory, beginning in countries in the Mediterranean.

The earliest mention of henna tattooing comes from the ancient Babylonian legend of Baal and Anath, which alludes to women marking themselves with henna in preparation to meet their husbands. Wall paintings excavated portray female figures with traditional henna markings on their nails, palms and soles.

Brides typically wore the most henna. Some bridal henna traditions were very complex, such as those in predominantly Jewish countries, where the henna process took days to complete, involving multiple applications.

The Night of the Henna, a yearly event which is now (and is still) celebrated world-wide, is said to have roots dating to prehistory as well. Almost all religious groups, including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Zoroastrians, among others, celebrated marriages by adorning the bride and sometimes the groom, with henna designs.

Indeed, almost all celebrations--such as anniversaries, births, and religious holidays, not just marriages--included some use of henna painting, as long as henna was available in the area. Henna was regarded as synonymous with any kind of blessings, and was applied for luck as well as for welcoming joy and beauty.

Truly an ancient and beautiful art form with a long cultural and religious history, henna tattooing is also distinguished from other tattoo processes in that it is temporary. Henna is known through the Middle East and North Africa as henna, as it is also called in most Western countries, but it is called 'Mendhi' or 'Mehendi' in India and Pakistan.

Henna powder for body ornamentation (and that which is also used to dye hair) is made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant, the scientific name for which is Lawsonia Inermis. It is a tall shrub-like plant that thrives in hot and dry climates, such as that of the Mediterranean. Henna powder is created by collecting henna leaves, that are then air-dried, usually out of direct sunlight, to preserve the staining/dyeing properties. The dried leaves are next ground to a fine powder ready for preparation of a henna paste.

Henna tattooing was first introduced to the Western world in the early 1990's, and has become popular across Europe, North American and in Australia.  A new Western design tradition of Henna body art has evolved since then, with new and exciting styles being applied alongside traditional Eastern styles.  These new design styles have since filtered back to the Middle Eastern cultures from where they originated, creating a renewed interest in an old traditional practice.

Free simple henna design stencils you can use, below. More great (and free) original designs can be found at http://www.hennatribe.com/patterns/freepatterns.htm. You just need to download the PDF's of patterns.