two occasions to refrain from hennaeing; henna for horses, houses and hands

Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on January 14, 2000 at 02:40:38:

Westermark, Edward, "Pagan survivals in Mohammedan civilization" 1933,
London; as quoted in "Body Marking in South Asia", Henry Field,
Peabody Museum, 1958

"When a person is on a pilgrimage to Mecca the members of his family
at home are not allowed to throw water out of the huse on the day of
"Arafah; if they did, they would have the bad news that their relative
has died on his pilgrimage. Nor must they weep on that day, nor beat
the children to make them weep. THey must also refrain from washing
their clothes, painting themselves with henna and having their heads
shaved."

Conder, C. R., "Tent Work in Palestine" 1878 , and ibid.
"The use of henna [in Samaria] is common to men and women alike.
Henna is a sign of rejoicing, and it is not worn in mourning. At a
marriage, the tails of the horses and the doors of the house are
coloured with it, as well as the faces and hands of the guests. Women
colour the nails, the fingerjoints, and the palms of the hands. A
little henna has a rather pretty effect, being a sort of orange-red in
colour."

Follow-ups:

• Re: two occasions to refrain from hennaeing; henna for horses, houses and hands Eliz. 15:35:11 1/15/00 (2)
  • maybe you're supposed to be an especially good citizen? Catherine Cartwright Jones 16:45:31 1/15/00 (1)
    • Or "don't waste water"? Eliz. 17:21:41 1/16/00 (0)