Tattoos in mehendi style. The most famous mehendi styles: Arabian, Indian and Moroccan
Mehendi is a centuries-old art of painting the human body with natural dyes, namely paste from henna leaves. The first mentions of temporary body art are attributed by archaeologists to the 5-thousand year mark. The wealthy beauties of Ancient Egypt spent most of their day beautifying their bodies with paintings and grooming themselves. Later on, henna leaves for mehendi began to be specially collected and crushed into a paste-like state.
Millennia later, henna body art took hold in India, where it acquired a sacramental meaning - from the usual body decoration mehendi turned into symbolic wishes for success, prosperity and well-being. The painting was based on vegetable motifs: young shoots, flowers in all variations, grass and tree leaves and stems.
In the hot climate of India and especially in the desert regions of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab a cooling effect of henna body painting was noticed. If a part of the body is completely immersed in a paste of henna leaves, the heat is much easier to bear.
The ladies of that period began to draw on their hands and feet the simplest ornaments in the form of a circle in the center surrounded by small dots and curls. Such drawings also gave the desired coolness. Gradually, the number of people wishing to buy henna for mehendi and coolness grew and the simplest images began to evolve into complex ornaments and acquire multiple meanings.
Along the way, there appeared special sticks for painting the body with henna made of noble metals, fragrant wood or carved from bone. Over time, incredibly beautiful drawings became very popular, and every fashionable woman tried to join the beautiful. So appeared mehendi in Moscow, having previously passed through countries and cities around the world.
It is worth mentioning that the art of mehendi does not only beautify the body and gives a zest. Henna is not without reason known for its cleansing and healing properties: it is part of the natural remedies for headaches, cleanses blood flow and blood vessels, promotes healing of wounds and cuts. Naturopaths claim that the application of finely ground henna treats skin fungus, eczema and other injuries.
Archaeologists concede that body painting with henna (what is it called? Right, mehendi) began with the medical manipulations of ancient doctors and transformed over the centuries into exquisite body art. During this time, several main styles of henna body painting - mehendi - have evolved.
The basic varieties of patterns
When did body painting originate? It is difficult to say, each historian and scientist names their own dates and periods. But one thing is certain, it is at least 5000 years old. There is an opinion that the first to apply the ornaments were invented by the inhabitants of India. Adherents of another version, put them in opposition to the assumption that in this country, this method of self-expression came only in the 12th century. Which of these is true and which is fiction, we no longer know. But is it so important to know this information, because for us the other is important, its beauty, elegance and sacred meaning.
Whatever controversy there is in scholarly circles, one of the main ones is the Indian style of drawing in mehendi. The representatives of this ethnic group believe that any image on a person's skin carries a certain semantic meaning. Some pictures have a magical character, while others refer to religious and cultural values.
Since ancient times it has been customary to pass on the secrets of creating tattoos from mother to daughter, from generation to generation.
No one has ever told outsiders their secrets of mixing henna paint and peculiarities of clan painting. Many masters have masterful painting techniques, and certain marks serve as a sign of family and social stratum.
Drawing
Meaning
Hamsa
An amulet, a protective amulet. Named as "the hand of God."
Peacock feathers.
Attracts happiness, success and good luck.
Mandala
Believed to be a model of the cosmos. Purifies, helps to achieve harmony, teaches the right perception of the world.
Animals with religious significance
This way a person expresses his or her worship and love for the deities.
The sound of OM
The fundamental mantra from which the world and life were born.
Dreamcatcher.
Gives peace of mind, stability, tranquility, protects from evil spirits, relieves insomnia.
Cucumber
The most famous mehendi pattern in India. Attracts good luck, prosperity and contributes to dynamic development.
Lotus
Woman's symbol. It enhances spirituality, sexuality, attractiveness and longevity.
Sanskrit inscriptions.
The oldest language, it is one of the earliest known to date. Any phrase or word written in the forefathers of languages has an important sacred meaning.
In a separate category should be placed the Gods. If you decide to put on your body one of these patterns, then keep in mind that for this pattern you need to choose a large area to accommodate the religious attributes and important features. Usually, the chest, back, and shoulders are chosen for this purpose. Each deity is the embodiment of a certain idea:
Lakshmi is the patroness of abundance, happiness and success.
Ganesha - among the most revered and beloved saints, he helps to achieve success in all endeavors, gives wisdom.
Vishnu - this image represents the all-pervading essence of the deity.
Durga - the fair and very formidable patroness of warriors.
Shiva - if a person applies this mehendi at the time of the struggle, it serves as a symbol of fighting for the right cause, helps to defeat evil.
Krishna - it is a sign that the owner of the picture is able to forgive.
Brahma - the wisdom and eternal life.
Kali - this God helps to join immortality, and gives freedom from earthly passions.
Saraswati - identifies beauty, chastity, and success in creativity.
Hanuman - symbolizes the continuous flow of life cycles, power.
Indian temporary tattoos are important not only for their embodiment, but also for their coloring. The blue shades in the drawing speak of the difficulties that have arisen in destiny. Red is victory, courage, strength and happiness.
The Moroccan unusual style of mehendi is also very popular among modern people. It also has another name - the African kind of mendi. Where did it come from? Also from antiquity. Tribal leaders and the strongest warriors made marks on their bodies with henna to emphasize their high rank and importance. This type is characterized by the creation of drawings of geometric shapes. The masters try to draw all lines clearly and observe the asymmetry.
Dots, rhombuses, squares and triangles in the mendi of Morocco make up a clear scheme, which can be located in different parts of the body.
The significance of the most famous shapes:
Star - hope and divinity.
Cross - connection between earth and sky, source of cosmic energy.
A square is a symbol of protection from evil, honor, stability, justice, and shelter.
Rhombus is a sign that unites masculine and feminine - Yin-Yang.
Triangle - if the tops look up, it is the embodiment of male activity, ascension to Heaven and fiery power; if down - the feminine symbol of mercy, which is given by the supreme forces.
The Moroccan vision of mehendi can sometimes be surprising, because the Bedouins carry out the coloring in a rather unusual way - they completely dip their palms and feet in a basin with henna.
The combination of elements of Indian and Arab styles is expressed in the traditional mehendi of Indonesia and South Asia. The drawings are characterized by colored dots on the tips of the fingers and toes, and sometimes completely paint the pads of the fingers, the sides of the palms and feet.
" The drawing turned out just marvelous. The first two days I endlessly sent my husband selfies and pictures of mehendi and facial expressions "in character," begging him to take another trip to India. And on the third, a tattoo grandly distracted a traffic cop who stopped me on my way to an appointment. In the future, when I go on vacation to Eastern countries, I will definitely do mehendi."
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This style of tattooing is one of the oldest. It is believed that sailors who were returning home from long voyages began to appear with such patterns in Europe for the first time. Characteristic features of the style of tribal - images of animals (usually dragons, scorpions, butterflies), complex elements with pointed ends.
" Temporary tattoo is a very cool thing, which allows for a short time to experiment with appearance: make a neat tattoo and decorate any part of the body. It's nice that only high-quality natural materials are used, which are not harmful to the body and in a few weeks disappear without a trace. It seems that in summer you can afford to change a little bit and not be afraid of unpleasant consequences!"
How to prepare your skin for mehendi drawings
On clean, heated skin, the henna goes well and the pattern lasts longer. Scrub for cleaning is better to make your own hands, mixing the two ingredients:
mustard powder - 1 part;
sea salt - 1 part.
Mistakes are corrected with cotton swabs The resulting mixture, stirring, dilute with water until you get a creamy pulp. Scrub the area of the drawing, before the procedure degrease the skin with an alcoholic solution.
How long does the mehendi dry and how long does it stay on the skin?
A drawing applied to the skin dries from a few minutes to a few hours. The pattern is brighter with prolonged contact of the paste with the skin. The henna must Dry naturallyIn this time, the area of the body with the pattern should not come into contact with water and detergents.
The crust of dried henna is removed when it begins to come off the skin
To say exactly how long the pattern lasts, it is difficult. The wearing time is individual and depends on the skin type. Some girls mehendi does not wash off for three weeks, others - no more than seven days.
Oil to fix the henna
To prolong the life of the ornament, in the morning and evening after the removal of the crust in the 3-4 days rubbed sesame oil, olive oil or special oil. In the first days after application of mehendi you can't go to the bath, sauna, wash your skin with soap.
Indian painting at home
You have the opportunity to make patterns on the hand with henna at home. To do this, you need to buy a special high-quality natural paint, degreaser, cotton swabs and stencils.
Henna is sold in two forms: ready-made (liquid in tubes) and requiring dilution.
Ready-made henna is contained in tubes, and it can be used immediately to draw, but the one that is sold in packs in the form of powder, you need to prepare.
The tea is thoroughly mixed with sugar and the juice of the lemon and henna are added. It should turn out a sour creamy porridge. It insists about 20 minutes.
Mehendi (henna) -paintings on parts of the body
А
ARABIAN STYLE,
Б
ON THE HIP, ON THE SIDE,
В
Г
UNDER THE CHEST, ON THE RIB CAGE, (2), ON THE SHIN,
Д
Е
Ж
ON THE BOTTOM,
З
ON THE TAPE,
И
ON THE TREATMENT,
К
ON THE BONES,
Л
ON THE PALM, ON THE THIGH, ON THE FACE, UP TO THE ELBOW, ON THE ANKLE, ON THE SCAPULA,
М
MANIKURE,
Н
ON FOOT, ON NAILS,
О
П
ON FINGERS, TOES, FINGERS, FOREARM, SHOULDER, LOWER BACK, PEACOCK,
The style used for painting in the Middle East includes floral motifs reminiscent of Arabic embroidery and painting. It is perhaps the most ornate and most feminine type of pattern.
"I love my tattoo on my back, even though my mother immediately told me that I look like a Papuan. But the young man really liked it - I got his compliments. Now there is an incentive to wear summer dresses with an open back - you can not hide such beauty! I think that when the pattern comes off, I'll have to renovate it.