Mendy (in Hindi "henna") - the art of body decoration henna patterns associated with wedding ceremonies, was born about 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Not only women but also men of the East and Central Asia used henna to decorate the body, forming many traditions of its use for coloring hair, nails, skin, drawing complex patterns of plant or abstract character.
By the XII century mehndi has gradually not only decoration of the body, but also a symbol of bringing happiness and protection against failures. In the Arab peoples, in order to avoid infidelity of her husband and to protect marriage, and nowadays practiced burial in the ground paint left over from painting the bride.
The process of decorating the bride sacred patterns executed older relatives, accompanied by conversations designed to devote Woman secrets of married life. Due to the fact that the Muslim woman is forbidden to show to the public his body pattern of henna is applied mainly in the hands and feet, and while wedding tattoo holds celebration continues for a while freeing the young wife of the household responsibilities.
Originally mehndi practiced only in wealthy families, but, due to the wide availability of henna, custom quickly adopted and more poor people, which led to the emergence of a variety of different recipes mixtures of henna and aromatic oils, diversity and complexity of patterns for painting.
Color paste for applying mehndi is different, depending on the country. The inhabitants of India and Central Asia enjoyed pure natural henna powder, and in North Africa, after being added to the ink paste powder charcoal, paint becomes more dark, close to black color.
Traditional motifs also varies widely by region. In North Africa, practiced heavily stylized drawing with clear contours, the Middle East was dominated by floral patterns that are typical of Arab culture. Moreover, the complexity of the pattern was characteristic only for special ceremonies. On ordinary days, used a simple pattern, for example, the Bedouin often just dipped your feet and hands in henna, without using any decor.
In India, mehndi temple dancer also performed mainly during wedding ceremonies. Paintings, mostly depicting religious motifs and symbols of fertility, is complex and large in size, covering the palm, forearm, foot and knee.
In Indonesia, were popular vegetable Indian motifs, interspersed with fully shaded fingertips, feet and side of the palm. Recently, mehndi has become popular in Europe, thanks to the many well-known actress and singer, decorate their bodies with henna patterns.