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When I think of tattoos, I do not think of beautiful traditions, but instead of something that American teenagers do for fun. Yet, tattooing draws roots from an ancient body inking tradition—henna. Henna has been around for thousands of years to beautify women on a special day: their wedding.

In 620 C.E., Arabs began incorporating intricately patterned henna tattoos called mehndi. Muslim women adorned themselves in henna tattoo before their wedding ceremonies in belief that certain designs would ward off evil spirits, bring luck, and increase the bride’s fertility. The mu’allima, or a female henna artist, would draw intricate tattoos on the bride and smaller designs on other women in the bridal party.

In Pakistan, some Muslim families hold a mehendi party before the wedding. The bride receives detailed drawings of spirals, curving vines, leaves, flowers, and geometric shapes. The henna is then applied to the palms, tops of the hands including the fingers, and the ankles—the only parts of the body allowed to be seen through the bride’s wedding dress. The length of time the henna lasts on the bride is important, as it is believed that if the henna fades before a month has passed, the bride was engaged and married too soon.

Henna has also been used in wedding traditions in Yemen. The henna ritual consists of the woman closest to the bride—a mother or grandmother—kneading the henna into a paste, while the rest of the bridal party drums and sings. Salt is added to the henna to further protect the bride from the evil eye. The bowl of henna is then passed from one person to the next (in order of their relationship to the bride), reflecting the social hierarchy of the bridal party. Yemenite brides are covered in patterns of lines, circles, dots, and pictures of grain, images extracted from women’s embroidery patterns.

Although henna and its contemporary cousin, the tattoo, hold many cultural connections, my personal experiences with body marking have been different. Like women in these cultures, I used tattooing to represent an important milestone in the United States: turning eighteen.  My tattoo has no cultural or spiritual relevance that henna holds in these cultures, but it did help me assert my independence from my family. Despite the distain from my family about getting a tattoo, my mother finally gave up and accepted the fact that it was going to happen. Before I left for the tattoo shop, my mom had on specific request: “Do not get that tattoo in any spot that I will be forced to see it when you are in your wedding dress.”

Sources: Arthur, L. (2000). Henna Salon. Arts & Activities, 27-28.

Combs-Schilling, M.E. (1990). Sacred Performance: Islam, Sexuality and Sacrifice. New York, NY: Columbia Press.

Eicher, J. B. (1998). The art of African fashion. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press

Sharaby, R. (2006). The bride’s henna ritual: Symbols, meanings and changes. A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies and Gender Issues, 11-42.

Mohapatra, R.P. (1992). Fashion styles of Ancient India: A study of Kalinga from earliest times to sixteenth century A.D. Delhi, India: B. R. Publishing.

Slyomovics, S. (1996). Wedding Song: Henna art among Pakistani women. TheJournal of American Folklore, 109, 79-92.

Author: Maureen Doran, St. Joseph's College