Re: Why is it that henna not prescribed for men?

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: I really do thank the great feedback I got about this topic : in fact, it didn't only satisfy my curiosity, it was : enlightening as well. : I knew from my background that dying hair for men is : not frowned upon as long as a piece of the hair that : does reflect its authentic color is left undyed. That : dying of the hair, I believe, was not achieved through : the use of henna. Rather by other substances. : Now with the feedback I got, I sort of understand why : henna for men was frowned upon. Gender identification : plus bad associations with painful memories. : As children, though, up to the age of 9 or ten, I remember : having attended a wedding party at a rural village near : my urban hometown in Syria. As kids, part of the festivities : included hennaying the hands of kids (the palms) I : still recall how my classmates in the urban settings : made fun of that until the henna disappeared. : However, once men reach adulthood even in rural : settings, henna even in erddings is frowned upon : for men. : It really boils down to what you mentioned earlier : regarding gender identification as a main motive. : Now the same principle can be applied to wearing : gold for men. In my culture, and in Islamic tradition : in general, men waering gold is frowned upon. What is : intersting, though, is men wearing white gold is not as : bad. Silver seems to be the preferred metal for wedding : bands, etc.... : Again thanks for your input on the matter. : Babaganooj : : : In India, certainly prior to 1500 CE, henna was used about equally : : between both men and women, and didn't seem to have any : particularly : : strong ties to a belief system. India seems to have had a separate : and : : parallel origin of henna to the the Middle East. : : However... traditions stemming from the Middle East were entirely : : different. : : Prior to 550 CE in the Middle East, men certainly used henna as a : : symbol of valour when going into battle, and to a certain extent up : to : : the 19th century as a battle marker. But even in the Bronze Age, : : henna was more commonly used by women than men. In the earliest : : period, 7000 BCE to 550 CE, henna was associated with the belief : : system surrounding the Virgin Warrior goddess (going by several : names : : including Anath, Tanith, and Inanna) and the Fertility goddess : : (several variations again, Asherah, Astarte, Ishtar). Women used : : henna as part of the years cycle of religious festivals, and as : part : : of their bridal preparations within these religions. Those : religions : : and the civilizations that supported them were largely gone by the : : rise of the Roman Empire, though henna was still certainly used in : the : : Middle East through that period. : : When Islam rose (partly due to the economic collapse following the : : Roman Empire) the Prophet Mohammed specified (or is alleged to have : : specified) that henna primarilly be used by women as a part of : gender : : identification (to more easily separate the sexes). As Islamic : : society pushed the sexes grew more towards a complete apartheid, : : gender identity in body markings became extremely important. Men : who : : used henna at times other than at specific festivals and just a bit : at : : their wedding were viewed as insufficiently masculine. Certainly, : the : : fact that there was often a male prostitute class (who cross : dressed : : and hennaed) in many of the urban capitals of the medieval Islamic : : world must have contributed to the sense that a "manly man" : shouldn't : : wear henna. : : I also suspect that the event of pre-adolescent circumcision (at 9 : - : : 13 years old), when a boy was hennaed like a bride just prior to : : excruciating pain, may have played a strong role in men's intense : : unwillingness to wear henna (really, really bad associative : memories).

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