Friday, March 10, 2006
FLESH, INK. FRIDAY - Earth Henna
Earth Henna's website not only contains a wonderful gallery of mehndi tattoos and designs, but gives background on the art of henna, as well as the ability to purchase anything that you might need to delve into the art of henna - sounds like a perfect weekend project to me!
According to Earth Henna's website:For centuries, mehndi — the art of henna painting on the body — has been practiced in India, Africa, and the Middle East, where the henna plant is believed to bring love and good fortune, and to protect against evil. Mehndi is traditionally practiced for wedding ceremonies, during important rites of passage, and in times of joyous celebration. A paste made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant is applied to the skin, and when removed several hours later, leaves beautiful markings on the skin that fade naturally over 1 to 3 weeks.
As far back as 1200 B.C. the ancient Egyptians were using henna on their nails and hair. Henna was also used to dye animal skins, textiles, and men's beards. Once the henna plant's cooling properties were discovered, painting the skin became a way for the desert people of India to cool down their body temperatures.
Mehndi has a heritage that is literally thousands of years old, and its designs incorporate tribal and ritualistic ceremonies into its beautiful artwork and design. As for me, I'm supposed to be painting a room this weekend - but maybe I'll grab one of these kits and do some different painting!
Previously on FLESH, INK. FRIDAY: Wilderness Bodypainting / Carolyn Roper / The Australian Museum / Jodee Lenaine Smith / Fredi Schmid / Vladimir Valenta / Anthony Chiappin and Andrew Dunbar / Rich Diltz / Flesh and Color
Tags: bodypainting, henna, Earth Henna, mehndi, body art
Posted by FleshPresser at 10:39 AM /
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According to Earth Henna's website:
