I went to a lovely Blessingway for my friend Lisa, who’s due to deliver her 6th child next week. And as part of the blessing, a wonderful woman named Marcy was there to paint henna Mehndi art on her belly. Covering the belly in natural henna is believed to bring about a safe and gentle birth, a tradition long held in India. Most women get the belly blessing close to when the baby is due.
Marcy is an amazing artist. And so fast! This is the final masterpiece:
Here’s a brief slide show that reveals the stages leading up to the finale:
To see more of Marcy’s beautiful work, check out her website. (www.mehndibymarcy.com).
After the mother-to-be had received her blessing, Marcy offered to do henna tattoos on the others who were present. I like tattoos, especially on men (but not overdone, please) although I’m not into getting a real tattoo for myself. But a henna tattoo, I thought, why not?
So I got two!
Here are mine. These first shots are the designs after the henna paste is applied. You have to allow the paste to dry (preferably overnight if possible) and then scrap the dried paste off. Beneath the paste is the lovely henna design in an orangy-brown color that darkens to a nice brown. The longer you leave the paste on, the darker the henna stain gets. And then it all fades away in one-to-three weeks.
My hands are so old-looking! It’s hell gettin’ old…
I’m surprised how many people noticed my henna! I was out last night and got several compliments and questions and today my dog customers noticed right away. It’s fun.
Do you have tattoos? Have you ever had henna tattoos? What’s your opinion of tattoos? Have you ever seen a pregnant woman get her belly blessed with mehndi art?
Angels Bark 
Hi, dear Michele! You had me Googling in an effort to write a halfway intelligent comment about this! 🙂 I didn’t realize that henna dye tattoo art has both cosmetic and medicinal applications or that it is used in some cultures to bless a pregnant woman’s belly. I don’t have any tattoos. As you know, I am a card carrying member of the baby boom generation. Tattoos on women were very rare when I grew up and for decades I had a negative opinion of them. In recent years tats have entered the mainstream and my opinion of them has changed. I don’t mind seeing a few tasteful ones.
Enjoy your body art and have a great week, dear friend Michele!
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Lol. Yes, it was all new to me too Shady. What a beautiful tradition though, huh? And how fun to be able to enjoy body art all while knowing it will fade in 1-3 weeks! I’m sold on it! 🙂
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I don’t like tattoos much at all. I think all of my kids have gotten them to varying degrees. Oh, well, they’re adults.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
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My Dad has 13 tattoos, all of them he got before and when he was in the Navy in his early military days (he went into the Army after a 2-year stint in the Navy). They look fabulous. You can tell their old, that old blue color.
My mom went tattoo crazy when she turned 65. She had always wanted tattoos so when she turned 65, she went and got them: one on her calf, on her hand, on the top of her foot and she also got an ankle bracelet. She loves them. My ex keeps trying to talk her into getting more but she’s done.
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I didn’t know about the ritual performed with the henna Tattoo on a pregnant lady but I think it is beautiful especially since this fades. I have gotten a henna tattoo before around my wrist and I loved it especially since it is not permanent. I am not one for tattoos. I can truly appreciate the artistry of a tattoo but when I see so many young people have tattoos everywhere I am frankly, finding them ugly. My Opa had a couple of tattoos which he got when he was very young. He said he thought they were great looking at first but when you get old, they sag and look pretty ugly. I think of all these gals with the tramp stamp and the tattoos on their arms etc… and how it will look when their skin starts to sag and go wrinkly. My niece has at least 2 and I fear she will get more.
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I’m like you Birgit. I don’t want tattoos myself but I do like to see a few on men. Not crazy about them on women. And I certainly hate when they get full arm sleeves or full legs. That looks terrible! And the beauty of the artwork is lost in one giant mess of color. I just don’t know why they go to that extreme…
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I’m mostly immune to tattoos anymore. My oldest son has so many I don’t even think he knows how many. When I worked in the nursing home almost all the CNA’s had one or more. I don’t have any (yet)! I did get a henna sun on my leg when we were in Mexico several years ago. It lasted about a month. It looked a lot like the one you have on your ankle!!
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That’s good to know that your henna lasted a month! I’ll be happy if mine lasts that long. I think it’s fun and the best part is that it fades away. It’s not permanent. I don’t know that I’d be so happy to have a permanent tat.
I don’t like when people get so many tattoos that the art is lost. It ends up being just a blob of colors and you can’t really make out what the images are. I hate those “full sleeves” …
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Henna means they will gradually fade, right? Probably good or stretch marks would really show!
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Yes, the henna stain fades in 1-3 weeks. A nice temporary tat!
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I don’t have permanent tattoos, but I have tried to get henna at both hand and foot/leg. My daughter was the painter then. I like those too and we can change them and don’t need to look at same artwork for years 😀
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Good point! YOu can change out the art all the time and by the time you’re getting sick of them, they’re fading away anyway. 🙂
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