Henna: The Ancient Art That Survives Because Of A Love Story
by Shahinda Abdalla
The temporary red dye we call henna comes from the henna tree, also known as lawsonia inermis. It is a shrub that grows to about 7 meters high. A close relative of the pomegranate shrub, at first glance, you would think the henna shrub is very ordinary with its small green and slightly pointy leaves. Nothing about it is necessarily attractive, except maybe its fragrant smell. No one knows exactly how it was discovered that its green leaves when chewed or dried and made into a paste produce a red dye. The popular speculation is that it was discovered by a shepherding community whose grazing animals returned to them with the color of their mouths changed for days after grazing on the henna shrub. It is believed that henna has been used as a temporary skin and hair dye for more than 5000 years. Though hard to know exactly where it began, the oldest recorded use of henna can be found in ancient Egypt dating back to 3500 BCE. In the tombs of Egyptian royals, mummies have been discovered with bright red-orange dyed hair and nails. Ramses II is one such ancient Egyptian royal who was famously discovered in his tomb with the red-orange dyed hair. Henna was used as part of the embalming and mummification process. The entire body would be dyed as it was believed to strengthen the skin and slow the decaying process.
Mummified hand of a 19th Dynasty ancient Egyptian princess from Thebes. The appendage has darkened due to necrosis. However, it can be seen that the individual’s fingernails were painted red with henna. (Image Source)
Henna was also thought to have antimicrobial properties and used by many not only for its cosmetic properties but its medicinal ones too. It was revered by the Islamic civilizations. The Prophet Muhammad was believed to put henna on any ulcer, burn, or wound. Today we know that henna has cooling and antimicrobial properties that help the skin to heal. Many men today still dye their beards with henna following in the custom of the Prophet Muhammad. Though today henna might be associated more with wedding rituals than anything else, and is used as a sort of temporary tattoo to adorn the hands and feet of both the bride and groom. This custom is believed to bring good fortune to the couple and dispel any evil spirits. The origins of this practice can be traced to ancient Egypt and the myth of Isis and Osiris. The story goes that Set killed his brother Osiris and tore his body to pieces and spread them across different parts of Egypt, but his faithful wife Isis adamant to restore the body of her beloved Osiris collected all the pieces and put them back together with her own two hands which became stained red from all the blood, so much so that the Egyptians considered “red hands” a symbol of love and loyalty so this is how the tradition of dyeing a bride’s hands red before marriage came about and was symbolic of her love and loyalty to her future husband, just like Isis was to Osiris.
henna leaves
Today, this custom of dyeing a bride’s hands red is not only a tradition specific to Egypt but can be observed across other cultures in South Asia like India and Pakistan, as well as across the Middle East and North Africa region. It’s not always only the bride’s hands that are dyed. In Upper Egypt in the Nubia communities and in Sudanese culture, both the groom and the bride each have their own henna night with their own henna rituals that are an integral part of the marrying process. The henna paste used to dye hair or make decorative designs on the body is made from the dried henna leaves which are then mixed with water, sometimes lemon and other essential oils are added to enhance and prolong its dying effects. So if you get a chance to get some henna done whether at an Egyptian bachelorette party ( also known as a henna party) or on a beach in Sharm el-Sheikh, remember that one of the main reasons the art of henna has survived for thousands and thousands of years is because of a love story — one that is as old as time — that of Isis and Osiris, and it continues on living because of every love story thereafter. The use of henna originated as an expression of union and continues on today just like it began symbolic of love and the union of hearts and bodies we call marriage.