ContemporaryFashionEducation: 22 - HENNA

Here are more fashions from the Pakistani wedding, featured in Post 7- Pakistani wedding-clothing.html.

Henna

The bride’s hands were painted with henna for the wedding ceremony.
According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia online:

The name henna also refers to the dye prepared from the plant and the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes. Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool, and leather. The name is used in other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna and neutral henna, neither of which are derived from the henna plant.^[3][4]

Historically, henna was used for cosmetic purposes in the Roman Empire, Convivencia-period Iberia and Ancient Egypt, as well as other parts of North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Near East and South Asia. It was also popular among women in 19th century Europe. Today, bridal henna nights remain an important tradition in many of these areas.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna

The book I bought to experiment with henna is The Art of Henna, by Pamela Nichols. It gives step-by-step instructions on how to apply the dye, which, within a reasonable time disappears.

The Bride's Wedding Dresses

The bride also wore the traditional white gown to symbolize the couple's new life here in the USA. The gray-maroon dress on the right is included in this post, even though it wasn't worn, as it is a Moroccan wedding dress now out of style.

To see the belly dancer's costume please visit my business Facebook page where I've posted the video I took of her dancing at the reception. Please excuse that the video is sideways. It enabled a closer view.