The meaning of tattoo patterns in the Indian style of Mehendi
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Researchers of oriental culture are still puzzling over when and where they first began to use the miraculous henna powder, which allows you to draw intricate patterns, plants, animals, birds on the body.
It is officially accepted that the art of mehendi is almost 5 thousand years old. In Europe, Indian henna drawings spread only at the end of the XNUMXth century and immediately gained rapid popularity.
Only prestigious beauty salons can provide an experienced Indian body painting master.
History of mehendi
As mentioned earlier, the art of Indian tattooing is thousands of years old. The first mention of the use of henna powder as a body decoration dates back to the times of Ancient Egypt. Then only noble men and ladies could afford mehendi-style tattoos. The pattern was applied to the temples, the skin of the palms and feet to keep the skin soft. In addition, henna was used to decorate the mummies of noble people before sending them on their last journey.
The name "Mehndi" comes from Hindi, a tattoo in the style traditional for India, from now on it is called that way. There is an opinion that the art of decorating the body with henna came to India only in the XNUMXth century. But it was the Indian craftswomen who achieved real perfection in it. Traditionally, only natural henna is used to apply bio-tattoo in the style of India. For example, in Africa, such drawings are applied to the skin, using an admixture of darker natural ingredients (charcoal) to make the tattoo look brighter.
Today, many rituals, ceremonies and traditions of festivities in India are associated with mehendi. So, there is an old custom, according to which the bride is painted on the eve of the wedding with bizarre patterns, among which there may be “living objects”, for example, an elephant - for good luck, wheat - a symbol of fertility. According to this custom, it is necessary to make mehendi correctly for a long time and painstakingly - at least a few days. During this time, experienced women of respectable age shared their secrets with the young bride, which could be useful to her on her wedding night. The remains of henna were traditionally buried in the ground, Indian women believed that this would protect their husband from wandering "to the left." The design pattern of the wedding tattoo had to be as bright as possible.
Firstly, colorful mehendi symbolized the strong love of the newlyweds, and secondly, the duration of the honeymoon for the bride depended on the quality of the drawing: the longer such a tattoo lasted, the longer the girl was in her husband's house in the position of a guest - she was not strained with household chores. According to tradition, during this time the girl had to get acquainted with relatives through her husband. Probably, back in those days, smart beauties figured out how to care for mehendi so that the drawing would last longer: for this, you should regularly lubricate it with nourishing oils.
mehendi styles
Like classic tattoos, Indian tattoos can be classified according to the style in which they were performed. The main ones are:
- Arab. Distributed in the Middle East. It differs from the Indian by the absence of animal images in the ornament. The main theme of the Arabian style is a fancy floral pattern.
- Moroccan. Differs in clear contours that do not go beyond the feet and hands. The main theme is floral ornament. It is not uncommon for desert dwellers to dip their hands and feet in a henna solution, staining them brown. They say that it is easier for them to endure the heat.
- Indian or mehendi (mehndi). This style is distinguished by the richness of images and the large size of the work. In Hinduism, every image of mehendi is of great importance.
- Asiatic. A characteristic feature of this style are numerous colored spots that perfectly complement the floral ornament.
Mehendi images
An important role in the meaning of Indian tattoos is played by the images depicted on them. Since ancient times, Hindus believed that correctly performed mehendi can bring certain consequences to a person's fate, both positive and negative. Let's take a look at the main ones:
- Points (grain). Hindus believed that grain is a symbol of the birth of a new plant, which means a new life. The Asian mehendi style involves the extensive use of dots (grains) as body adornments to symbolize fertility.
- Swastika... The meaning of the swastika was unfairly denigrated in the XNUMXth century. The ancient Indians gave this symbol a completely different meaning. For them, the swastika meant prosperity, tranquility, happiness.
- The circle meant the eternal cycle of life, its endless cycle.
- Flowers have long been a symbol of childhood, happiness, new life, prosperity.
- Fruit endowed with the symbolism of immortality. The image of a mango meant virginity. This pattern was often used to decorate the body of a young bride.
- The star was a symbol of the hope and unity of man and woman.
- The young thin moon meant a baby, the birth of a new life. The image of the moon seemed to remind the parents that sooner or later the baby will grow up (as the moon will become full), and he will have to be released into life alone.
- The sun symbolized divinity, the beginning of life, immortality.
- Symbol lotus attached great importance. This amazing flower was often cited as an example for young people. The lotus grows in a swamp and still remains pure and beautiful. Likewise, a person should remain pure and righteous in thoughts and deeds, despite his surroundings.
- The peacock was portrayed in the bride's mehendi, he symbolized the passion of the first wedding night.
It would seem that many centuries have passed since the inception of the art of mehendi in the countries of the East. Nevertheless, the popularity of amazing drawings made with henna powder does not fade to this day.
The tradition of decorating brides with fancy mehndi patterns before the wedding lives in India to this day. This type of body art came to Europe relatively recently, but managed to gain frenzied popularity among young people.
Many girls visit prestigious beauty salons, entrusting themselves to the hands of talented masters of henna drawing, in order to comprehend the wisdom of Indian folk traditions and beliefs.
