One of the most prominent vocabulary of the Emirati heritage

Henna .. the reliefs of joy and the authentic healing recipe

• Henna has preserved the prestige and presence often associated with ritual glamor.

  ■ The National Archives

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«Memory of the Nation»

A weekly page provided by "Emirates Today", in cooperation with the "National Archives" of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, with the aim of introducing the way life in the Emirates before the federation, and during its early beginnings, and the great effort made by the founding fathers of the state for its establishment, and linking it to what the UAE leaders achieve, Today, her children are among the achievements the world has witnessed.

Henna represents one of the most prominent vocabulary of the Emirati and Gulf heritage in general, and despite the great changes that societies have witnessed over the past years, henna has preserved its status and presence that is often associated with rituals of joy and celebration, whether on social occasions or holidays. Use it as a way to heal and medicin.

The use of henna has also become restricted, to a large extent, to women and girls, unlike in the past, as it was used by men and women.

Henna has been known for many decades, as the Pharaohs used it for various purposes. From the powder of its leaves, they made a paste to dye hands, dye hair and treat wounds. Many pharaonic mummies were also found dyed with henna, and they took a perfume from its flowers.

Henna also had a special place in the Arab and Islamic culture, so many peoples resorted to using it in cosmetics thanks to its qualities, so it dyed hands, feet and hair with its paste, and brushed it even in the graves under their dead.

Henna is also used for tanning leather and wool.

It is obtained from grinding the leaves of the henna tree, which is a shrub of the herbaceous family, annual or perennial, aged for about three years and may extend to 10, evergreen, prolific, up to three meters in length, and its branches are green in color and turn brown upon maturity, and the henna leaves are simple Leather oval, three to four cm long, and may be light red or yellowish white, and the flowers are small white with a strong aromatic and distinctive smell.

Eye and hands health

People in the UAE used to believe that henna is one of the reasons for healthy eyes and hands, because applying henna to the soles of the feet isolates the body from the heat of the earth, and this insulation avoids heat stress, because it provides a layer of insulation from the elements (water, air, and fire).

Heat stress often causes eye inflammation and headaches, so it is believed that henna helps avoid these health troubles.

They were also placed directly on the head if the person suffered similar symptoms, and in that case, fresh henna leaves were placed on the patient's head after crushing them, and then covered with a scarf, according to researcher Abdullah Al-Sharqi, in the "Liwa" magazine, issued by the National Archives, He explained that the use of henna was not limited to adults, as it was placed on the newborn's hands and feet two weeks after his birth using “dipping”, and it was meant by dipping the hand with the wrist and the foot with the heel in henna, and before he reached 40 days old, henna was put on his hands and feet. In the second time, a layer of black paste made of aloe vera is first applied to the skin, then a layer of henna is applied.

The purpose of this is that when a newborn grows up and uses henna, it will appear darker on the skin.

He pointed out that there is another use of henna with newborns when they reach the age of 18 months, any time when teeth appear, to avoid the pain associated with it usually.

In this case, a mixture of henna leaves and mulberry leaves (from the genus of Morris) are used after grinding them, then they are placed on the top of the head and behind the ears, then cover that ointment with gauze, and leave for two days.

Al-Sharqi also indicates in his research that henna is applied to the feet and hands of male and female children, and it was common in the past for men to put henna on their hands and feet, and they usually do this on the occasion of holidays, and with the change of time in the Emirates, men began to put henna on the soles of their feet. Or, the palm of their hands, and I have stopped that habit now, but some men still put henna on their feet or hands on weddings and holidays.

Special night

Henna is a major ritual of wedding rituals for women in the Emirates, and in the Arab world in general, as the bride's relatives and friends celebrate the henna night before the wedding. We are with you, you see, we are walking after you. ”

Usually one of the relatives of the married bride and the eldest of her used to draw henna in several shapes and designs, which differ from one family to another, and at the present time it has become here a "henna" or a "henna" that performs this task.

Henna is also used on many other occasions, such as Eid al-Fitr, and older women also dye their nails with henna.

shapes

The woman used to make henna herself, by grinding the dried green henna tree plant leaves, kneading it with warm water and some dry lemon juice to decorate the hands and feet, and if used to strengthen the hair, do not put lemon.

There were various recognized inscriptions, the most famous of which is “Al-Ghamsa”, in which the hand is dipped completely on the front and back with henna.

The “story” is on the fingers and half or the entire palm of the hand, the “sail” is in the form of a triangle, and the “staples” are on the tips of the fingers, and the “staple” is a point in the form of a staple, in addition to the “keso” henna, which is shaped The cashew seed, and “Abu Al Baitan” and “Al Joti”, in which the feet are pigmented.

Treatment for divers and other benefits

Fathers and grandfathers in the UAE used henna as a treatment and skin conditioner for those who dive underwater in search of pearls, to treat the drought afflicted by the saltwater of the sea.

Also, henna was used for pregnant women in the last days before childbirth, to reduce body temperature and speed up childbirth, so she used to knead henna with water and put her feet in the bowl, then wrap the feet in a piece of cloth.

In addition to the other benefits of henna in the treatment of parasites that affect the skin, in the treatment of dandruff and hair loss and parasites that may appear on the scalp, and in the cleansing of wounds and ulcers, because of the astringent and antiseptic substances it contains.

- A

ritual of joy, and repeating the hymns associated with it and the night of henna, and the most famous of which is: “Be compassionate to us from your tenderness, you see that we are walking with you.”

- One of the most famous inscriptions “Al-Ghamsa”, in which the hand is dipped completely in henna.

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