Henna is the name of a body art for women performed in Middle Eastern cultures. A dye taken from the henna or hina plant is mashed into a dye used to decorate women's bodies as part of social celebrations and holidays. The dye comes in the form of a non-permanent tattoo, disappearing after two weeks or so depending on how its cared for. The existence of this art has been traced back to the late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean. Events such as the birth of a child, birthday celebrations, weddings, and any other joyous moments are all occasions where henna is practiced.
Because this art has such a strong place in Middle Eastern and Yemeni society, I enlisted a Yemeni woman who works as a henna artist to come to the college and perform henna for the girls here. She did beautiful work and you can see my hands after henna was performed in the image below. Henna is an art that is restricted only to women so no men are allowed anywhere near the event. Since women must reveal their skin during the process it is especially necessary that men are excluded.
When the henna artist arrived there were tea and cookies as is traditional in Yemeni society for such an event and Arabic music playing in the background. We had the option of getting hands, feet or both done. The henna itself was actually a very quick process despite the intricacy of the designs, and once the henna was applied, all that was left to do was sit back, practice Arabic, and wait for the henna to dry (about 15 minutes). After the paste solidified, I took a sponge in oil and patted down everyone’s henna pattern. Next, the henna was left to sit a little while longer before our artist used her hands and a rag to wipe off the paste she’d used to create each unique pattern, revealing the tattoo you see above.
Because this art has such a strong place in Middle Eastern and Yemeni society, I enlisted a Yemeni woman who works as a henna artist to come to the college and perform henna for the girls here. She did beautiful work and you can see my hands after henna was performed in the image below. Henna is an art that is restricted only to women so no men are allowed anywhere near the event. Since women must reveal their skin during the process it is especially necessary that men are excluded.
When the henna artist arrived there were tea and cookies as is traditional in Yemeni society for such an event and Arabic music playing in the background. We had the option of getting hands, feet or both done. The henna itself was actually a very quick process despite the intricacy of the designs, and once the henna was applied, all that was left to do was sit back, practice Arabic, and wait for the henna to dry (about 15 minutes). After the paste solidified, I took a sponge in oil and patted down everyone’s henna pattern. Next, the henna was left to sit a little while longer before our artist used her hands and a rag to wipe off the paste she’d used to create each unique pattern, revealing the tattoo you see above.
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