Relishing Red

An ancient tale mentions it. Old wall paintings depict women sporting it. Cleopatra and Nefertiti are reported to have used it to enhance their legendary beauty.  Indian brides spend hours in its ceremonial application. Lucy Ricardo used it regularly.  “It” is the cosmetic derived from the leaves of the mignonette tree — henna — the age-old dye that turns hair red, adorns the skin, colors finger and toe nails and is sometimes used to tint and preserve leather and wool.

The mignonette tree or Lawsonia intermis, prized also for the sweet smell of its flowers, thrives between 15˚ and 25˚ North and South latitudes in hot climates, and is cultivated in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.  The leaves are dried, crushed, milled and sifted into a powder. Once the powder has been made into a paste, it can be applied to the hair or skin.  Hair colors vary from bright orange to auburn and skin designs that can last up to two weeks become deep red-brown.

As a devotee of I Love Lucy reruns, I have known about henna for years.  To me henna was Lucy’s old-fashioned home hair dye. Although TV was black and white in Lucy’s heyday, I have a pretty good idea about the orange shade of her hair. I still wonder, and I think Ethel would too, why she didn’t just go to the drugstore, and buy a commercial dye.  It turns out she was part of a long tradition. People have been dyeing their hair with henna for 6000 years.  The ancient Egyptians, among them Queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra, used it, as have inhabitants of India, the Middle East and Africa.  For Muslim men dyeing their beards red with henna is a sunnah, a religious discipline. Perhaps because Dante Gabriel Rosetti’s wife had naturally flaming-red hair, the Pre-Raphaelites of nineteenth century Britain portrayed Bohemian young women with henna-red hair.

Since the Bronze Age, people have been ornamenting their bodies with henna. In archaeological excavations of Ugarit, in Syria, texts of the ancient tale of Baal and Anath that contain references to women’s using henna for body decoration have been found, and at the site of Akrotiri (pre-1680 BCE) on the Greek island of Santorini, murals showing women with henna designs on hands and feet have been unearthed.

Festive celebrations such as Diwali in India, Nowruz in Iran, Eid in the Islamic world, Purim in Jewish communities and Christian saints’ days are all reasons for ornamentation in the henna growing areas of the world. Regarded as bringing blessings to its wearer, henna has traditionally been a part of weddings in many of these regions. It used to require several day for Jewish brides in Yemen to complete their adornment. In India and in the Indian diaspora, henna (mehndi) also plays an important role in the bride’s preparations. Her mehndi ceremony takes place a day or two before the wedding, and can be anything from an intimate family party to a large reception. The intricate patterns that require four to six hours to dry attain their final dark color overnight.  These days, the bride may use henna mixed with glitter or select from a larger range of colors than used to be available. She may even stray from traditional patterns such as paisley and peacock motifs, and she may also, after consultation with her henna artist, include her new husband’s name somewhere in the pattern. No matter what the color or the design, some old wives believe that the darker the henna, the more the husband will love his wife. For me the most practical piece of  old wives’ wisdom is that brides may not wash dishes until their henna designs have worn off.  

I was delighted to discover three years ago at the first Mingei Fusion*, the Museum’s celebration of cultures from around the world, that besides exquisite Indian dancers and delicious Indian food, we had a group of henna artists adorning the guests.   I was enthralled with the intricate designs, and promised myself that one day I would take advantage of their talents.  There have been two more Mingei Fusions and a couple of Diwali celebrations since then, and I am still living henna-free. So, I was delighted to learn that at the next Family Sunday, February 19, henna artist Natasha Monahan Papousek will be here to ornament grown-ups with henna and younger visitors with press-on or gel designs.  She will also bring copies of henna designs to inspire visitors to create their own henna-like art on paper. In addition, Papousek has found another use for this versatile dye; she designs earrings, totes and backpacks and decorates them with henna.  An assortment of her charming creations will be available in The Collectors, Gallery that day.

*This year’s Mingei Fusion is being planned for Saturday, June 16. It is an evening of dance, music, food and drink from around the world. Check www.mingei.org/fusion/2012 for details.