Henna in Morocco – A Guide to Henna Art in Morocco

A visit to Morocco is guaranteed to take your breath away with its beautiful destinations, rich culture, and memorable experiences. One of the most unique experience for the women is a traditional henna art session where you can choose from a wide range of simple and intricate decorative designs.

What is Henna?

The word “Henna” in Arabic means red. Many people in Morocco refer to it with another word – “mehndi”. This is the name of the shrub from which henna is being derived and is also the name for the art of tattooing.

What is the Origin of Henna?

Although the origin of Henna is hard to pinpoint, it has been suggested that it was developed in Northern Africa and then later introduced to Asia and India by North African travellers. Some claim the traditional henna art in Morocco to be traced back to the indigenous Berber communities in the country.

How is Henna Dye Produced?

Henna is a dye produced from the Henna plant. To produce the dye, dried Henna leaves are ground into powder and mixed with water, tea, or lemon juice. The greener the powder, the more effective the paste will be to dye the skin red.

Use of Henna During Moroccan Weddings and Festivals

Traditionally, henna in Morocco played an essential part of any major festival in Morocco and still does today. Henna is often used in the celebrations of the Id-al-Adha, circumcision, and during marriage festivities. There are also many significant cultural values associated with henna in Morocco.

If you see a young girl with henna in Morocco applied on her hands and legs, this most likely means that she has married recently. These beautiful tattoos are part of the premarital ritual. One or two days before the wedding, each future bride reunites with female relatives and friends for the so called “mehndi night”. It’s a must that a skilled henna craftsman be present to the gathering.

The Berber marriage ceremony is the most emblematic ritual where Henna is used. It is during these celebrations that the bride’s hands and feet are uniquely designed. Henna in Morocco is thought to bring luck to the bride and protect her from harm.

Henna in Morocco is both work and a hobby for some Moroccan ladies. They are so skilled in what they do that they are often asked to weddings so that the bride gets her hands and feed tattooed. In many regions, the tradition requires the name of the groom to be inserted in the design.

Getting Henna in Morocco

Henna in Morocco is one of the biggest tourist attractions and there is no way you can skip it. If you wish to be experience henna tattooing, you must seek an artist around the medina in any of the Moroccan cities. You will notice women dressed in back or blue djellaba (typical Moroccan clothing) sitting on small chairs. English is not so wide spoken among the henna design specialist.

Henna in Morocco is widely offered as a service at every Moroccan souk and you can choose from a variety of designs and patterns. You will be sure to find henna at the ancient Medina in Fes and Marrakech.

Once you have found a henna shop, you will first want to ask about the price and always bargain. Look around yourself very well and choose the lady with the most customers. The majority of the ladies have a catalogue with designs you can choose from. When the henna is applied on the skin, its colour is rather dark green or dark brown. The best henna is the green one. Henna connoisseurs strongly suggest avoiding black henna.

Don’t be surprised if the henna falls off overnight. The beautiful orange or brown design underneath will stay for several weeks slowly disappearing. The henna application does not take more than 5-10 minutes and your hands or legs will be nicely decorated with flowers, interesting patterns and Arabic words. This, of course, depends on the complexity of the design. If you are visiting Morocco for the first time, henna tattooing is part of the pleasure such an exotic trip offers.