The History of the Art of Mehndi Henna Designs

Ever went to an Indian or Pakistani wedding ceremony and marveled at the beauty of the designs and artworks on the hands and the feet of the bride? For those that are not sure of what these are, the artworks are called mehndi, and they are prepared using henna (usually natual henna) which originates from the leaves of the henna plant. Another name for the henna plant is the cypress flower plant, and the word henna itself comes from the Arabic word of hinna.

There are several different types of mehndi available, for instance Indian mehndi, Pakistani mehndi and Arabic mehndi to name three. It is believed that the art of applying henna on body parts has been in existence for more than 5000 years, though there isn't much proof to back this claim. There are historians that believe that the Mughals brought this art to India, but there are also others that believe that the art actually originated in India itself.

There are also others that claim that mehndi was first found in the Middle East, and even North Africa, thus there are different opinions on the history of the art when historians are concerned. Nevertheless there is concrete historical proof from some archaeologists that shoe that black henna was actually used in Egypt during the times of the pharaohs. There are also mummies that have been found with black henna on their toes and fingers.

Mehndi henna designs have always been used in wedding in India, and they are actually mentioned in folk stories of the past as well. The usage of wedding mehndi has been upheld until today, and in countries such as Yemen, the art of applying mehndi for a wedding would take close to four to five days just to satisfy traditional requirements during the wedding festival. The same could be said in Pakistan, where the brides usually decorate themselves with gorgeous mehndi to make themselves look extra-radiant on their big day.

In today's modern world, there are numerous mehndi henna design books around that display the numerous mehndi stages to be undertaken to complete the art of mehndi, a clear indication of how times have changed from the times of the past when the art of mehndi was passed on through word of mouth. Nevertheless, the historical art of mehndi continue to captivate millions around the world, and would continue to do so for years to come!

Click here to learn more about art of mehndi, and easy to follow guide that teaches you how to design you own henna tattoo in a matter of minutes.