Being new to the country I wanted to know what the designs were on the womans hands here so I looked it up and the Henna is very beautiful and very different.
As a tradition, in some countries, henna is applied to the hands and feet of brides to celebrate their wedding day; some apply it also for ‘eid and other religious celebrations, or indeed to celebrate any good occasion.
The dramatic, dark red designs of henna are considered to have originated first from the Middle East and India. The striking and intricate designs of henna are painted on the body with a paste made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant and a mixture of aromatic oils.
Henna gained popularity in the U.S. after the early 1990’s. Many American musicians and Hollywood personalities adopted the pain-free method of applying henna as a form of body decoration in preference to tattoos–the temporary tattoo. As the trend grows in popularity, so does the list of personalities.
There are different rituals everywhere involving henna. Some people believe henna brings everlasting love and makes a successful married life, some do it to chase away evil. But whatever the reason, most people do it for the sake of its enchanting designs.
The application of the henna can take any where from one to five hours depending on the type of designs being applied. The more elaborate and intricate the designs, the longer it takes for the henna artist to apply the bridal henna designs. Designs of henna last from a few days to a few weeks before fading magically from the skin and it costs a lot less than a permanent tattoo.
Please take a look at some of the beautiful henna designs that I found on line recently.
Photo by Ameer HamzaDressed for Eid-ul-Fitr, with lovely floral henna design on hands.
Photo by Asma-krEid-ul-Fitr floral assymmetric Arabic henna design on hands.
Feet are not forgotten, bridal henna designs on the feet.
Emirates Palace Hotel
