Yesterday was Henna Day at AUS, so hordes of ladies took over the Women's Lounge in the student center and got their henna on. Of course I couldn't resist taking the girls. They caused quite a stir among the crowd of student ladies and they even let us jump the (sizeable) queue.
Having your small children get henna is fun but also stressful. Miriam is a pro at sitting still and not smearing it, but Magdalena still has a lot to learn. She sat still enough for the application but then managed to smear an edge of her flower design as she got off the chair. The henna artist re-did it and there were no major mishaps after that (key word: major). The girls have never made it long enough to see it dry all the way - I end up getting tired of stressing out about it staining their clothes and make them wash it off early. But even with a shortened soaking-in period, the designs always last at least a week.
And they are gorgeous!
These small flower designs are about all Magdalena can handle at this age.
Miriam loves getting the big-girl designs.
In the above pictures, the henna is still drying and so it's very dark. When you scrape off the paste, it's a much lighter orangish/brownish color.
Now, let's discuss something. I have been familiar with the Middle East for so long that I don't recall having a negative opinion about henna, ever. It's so normal to me that I can no longer pass judgment on it (except to say that I'm totally OK with it, obviously). However, over the summer I was talking with an American friend who had just moved here and I mentioned that my girls enjoy getting henna done every once in a while. She gave me a brave look that showed how hard she was trying to not judge me, but I could see that the idea of henna was strange to her, that she thought it was more akin to a verboten tattoo rather than, say, face-painting.
After that, I realized how I might have been offending my girls' grandparents and aunts and uncles right and left with all my talk and shared pictures of henna on the girls' arms. So I ask you, blog audience: what do you think of henna? Answer the poll and then elaborate in the comments.
What do you think about henna?
Having your small children get henna is fun but also stressful. Miriam is a pro at sitting still and not smearing it, but Magdalena still has a lot to learn. She sat still enough for the application but then managed to smear an edge of her flower design as she got off the chair. The henna artist re-did it and there were no major mishaps after that (key word: major). The girls have never made it long enough to see it dry all the way - I end up getting tired of stressing out about it staining their clothes and make them wash it off early. But even with a shortened soaking-in period, the designs always last at least a week.
And they are gorgeous!
In the above pictures, the henna is still drying and so it's very dark. When you scrape off the paste, it's a much lighter orangish/brownish color.
Now, let's discuss something. I have been familiar with the Middle East for so long that I don't recall having a negative opinion about henna, ever. It's so normal to me that I can no longer pass judgment on it (except to say that I'm totally OK with it, obviously). However, over the summer I was talking with an American friend who had just moved here and I mentioned that my girls enjoy getting henna done every once in a while. She gave me a brave look that showed how hard she was trying to not judge me, but I could see that the idea of henna was strange to her, that she thought it was more akin to a verboten tattoo rather than, say, face-painting.
After that, I realized how I might have been offending my girls' grandparents and aunts and uncles right and left with all my talk and shared pictures of henna on the girls' arms. So I ask you, blog audience: what do you think of henna? Answer the poll and then elaborate in the comments.
What do you think about henna?