Henna night how goes. Turkish traditions

Here is a Turkish bachelorette party is really different from the western party. In a nutshell, its meaning is a sad farewell to an unmarried life.

According to tradition, it was held on the night before the wedding. The venue was the groom's house, or rather his female half, where the bride moved after the wedding. The celebration was attended only by relatives and friends, without men
Even in the descriptions it is indicated that before the night of henna, the bride went to the hammam. Perhaps so that the mother-in-law looked at her before the wedding, although other sources write that the bride and mother-in-law first met only at a bachelorette party

Be that as it may, much has changed in modern Turkey. Now all relatives, including men, come to the night of henna. Probably the bachelor parties were so boring that they left the traditions and forgot

Now they can spend it where the soul wants and the wallet allows. For a night of henna, you can rent a salon, call guests home, or just modestly block your street.

And recently, Turkish wedding salons even offer to hold it right during the wedding. And this service is becoming more and more popular. Apparently, many want a bachelorette party after registration, somewhere between dances. :D Anna offered me to do just that. In the salon, the organizer said that now everyone is doing this. I refused, a Turkish wedding is already a spontaneous phenomenon ..

We had a bachelorette party the night before the wedding. In the afternoon we met my relatives at the airport, and when we arrived home, all the guests had already gathered and had fun. First, everyone met, ate, and then the henna night itself began

The women spread a path of red fabric on the floor, along which I went out to the guests. By the way, a dress for a bachelorette party is a special dress, it used to be passed down from generation to generation, and it was worn only for henna night.
Of course, traditionally the dress was red, richly decorated with gold embroidery. Now brides can buy a special dress for this ceremony. And if the bachelorette party is held during the wedding, then the girl puts on a special red cape over her wedding dress.

They brought in a tray with two candles and a bowl of hot henna. According to tradition, burning henna was supposed to ignite the hearts of the young, who didn’t communicate much before the wedding. I followed the woman carrying the tray, and we began to circle the guests. This ceremony should be performed by a woman whose marriage has developed successfully. My friends joined us, and gradually all the guests, until we got a big round dance

Men did not participate in this, they just watched. I had a transparent red cape on my head, the women sang a sad song, and the groom's father turned on the lights on the ceiling and turned off the lights. All this was very beautiful.

In theory, at this moment the bride is crying, saying goodbye to her unmarried life and her parental home. When a couple of sad, beautiful songs ended, we stopped our circle dance, and they put me on a chair in the middle. Ashkym was planted nearby

Then there was some ritual that I did not really understand. They put money in my hand and told me not to open my fist. I tried to ask my fiancé what was going on, but he seemed to be just having fun.

A tray of burning candles was carried several times over our heads.

When I freed my hand, they put warm henna in it, and put a red bag on top. Then my unmarried girlfriends also smeared their palms with henna. And the groom was smeared only with the little finger of his hand. What was it and why the little finger I don’t know: D

After that, the circular dances continued, only this time to cheerful rhythmic music. The groom also danced with us until he got tired and went to the peasants

But most of all, of course, my mother surprised me. No, I always knew that she loves to dance, but after several flights I just want to lie down somewhere in a corner and lie there for a couple of days, and she danced so that everyone gathered around her, clapped their hands and shouted loudly. It was she who was glad that they were finally taking me in marriage: D

My friends and I were already tired of dancing, and Turkish Anna came out to her dance battle, but she also could not stand such a rhythm and we had to urgently seat her on the sofa and solder with cold water

I can’t call the night of henna sad, but it certainly was an unusual, beautiful and memorable evening.

In the old days, a complex pattern was drawn on the hands of the bride beautiful pattern, which now probably only masters in the cabin can perform. The groom's initials were woven into this pattern so that during the wedding night he would find them.

Henna night is one of the most beautiful rituals in Turkey. Simply put, this is the same bachelorette party. Usually the ceremony takes place the day before the wedding, in the house where the bride lives or plans to live after the wedding. The guests are mostly women, and not necessarily your friends and relatives, it can be your neighbor’s grandmother’s sister, and even your hairdresser, the more guests at the Turkish holiday, the better, because you will definitely be asked later how many people came to congratulate you, and you with a calm face, as if this is how it should be, casually answer “oh, I don’t know .. 600-700 people.” This bachelorette party has no age restrictions, there will be children and old people. The bride puts on a beautiful dress, which is embroidered with gold threads and is called ono-bindally, and a red veil on her head, through which she can watch everyone, but no one can see her herself. And so, when the guests have gathered, started dancing and treating, our beautiful bride comes down, her task is to dance a small dance for the groom with an earthen jug on her shoulder that is filled with coins, sweets or flowers, and at the end break it.

By the way, if the jug did not break, this will be considered a bad sign, and your "girlfriends" will begin to whisper, saying that your marriage will not be very good. Therefore, if you just have a night of henna, get together and properly unpick this pot, let them know ours! And so, the pot is broken, everyone is shocked by your strength and realized that with such a gelin (according to the tourist bride), the jokes are bad. Now the fun begins. The mother of the groom and the mother of the bride seat the couple in the center on chairs so that everyone can see them, and then they bring out henna on a shiny tray, lit by candles. Women around begin to circle round dances around you with this henna, and in the meantime your mother sings you a sad song from the category “daughter, you are leaving your father’s house and it’s so sad”, the sadder the song and the mournful voice of your mother, the better, because your task is to cry , or at least depict the view.

By the way, it was customary to cry a long time ago, when, when getting married, the daughter from her parents was taken to neighboring villages, to the mountains, in general, far away, and the bride cried because she would either not see her mother again, or she would see, but not soon. Times have changed, but it is still customary to cry, otherwise, according to the sign, “you will cry in marriage,” so it’s better not to take risks and remember something sad and shed a tear. When the women around you danced, and you calmed down, your mother-in-law will put a gold coin in your palms, but before you open your palm, you must name what you want for it, for example, in monetary terms, or in gold - just don’t open it. Then a layer of henna will be smeared over the coins and a beautiful handkerchief or mitten will be tied with which you will spend the rest of the holiday. The remaining henna is smeared on the palms of other girls, this should bring them good luck. Remarkably, there is practically no alcohol at such events, everyone just dances and enjoys the evening.

Mankind is growing up, changing, slowly moving away from old superstitions and ancient customs. However, some traditions, although they undergo slight changes over time, still remain deeply loved and revered by the people. One such tradition is the henna night held in Turkey before the wedding.

What is henna night?

Henna Night is an ancient Muslim tradition in which the night before the wedding, the bride says goodbye to her home and prepares to begin her adult life in the groom's house. This is a time of simultaneous sadness and joy, sad songs and happy dancing. Time to eat, drink, cry, laugh, dream. Such is the bachelorette party, which should be attended by women both from the side of the bride and from the side of the groom.

Where is henna night held?

Today, henna night can be held at home, in a cafe, in a restaurant. You can even rent a special bridal salon. However, earlier the henna night could only be held in the groom's house. At the same time, the bride and groom could not see each other at all before the wedding, and certainly did not visit each other. So for a young girl, a henna night is also an acquaintance with a new home, with a new environment, a new way of life.

What do they wear on henna night?

Until now, the tradition has been preserved for the bride to wear a long red dress on the night of henna, and sometimes a caftan embroidered with gold threads. As in any pre-wedding ceremony, it is important to emphasize the chastity of the bride on the night of henna, so even today it would be better if the bachelorette party dress covers both knees and elbows. A red thin veil is thrown over the bride's head, through which the bride can see what is happening around.

How do you prepare for henna night?

The bachelorette party starts long before nightfall. Women gather in the house, bring food and gifts. Previously, the bride with her bridesmaids at this time examined new house, and often it was at this time that the bride met her future mother-in-law. Today, as a rule, everyone is already familiar with each other, so it is possible to immediately move on to the most important thing.

What do girls do on henna night?

The bride sits on a chair in the middle of the room, and other women begin to walk around her with lit candles and sing mournful songs. In a new house, surrounded by new relatives, alone, it was at that moment that the young bride was fully aware that, perhaps, she would never see her father's house again in her life ...

It is believed that the louder and stronger the bride will cry, the more successful and happy this marriage will be for her. That is why no one thinks to soothe a crying girl, on the contrary, sad and plaintive songs about separation from parents usually even in our time upset brides even more.

When the bride still calms down, the future mother-in-law pours some henna into her palms and puts a special gold coin there as a gift. The girl tightly squeezes her palms, and small, elegantly decorated bags are put on them.

At that moment, a silver tray is brought into the room. Henna is laid out on it and two candles are burning. The most exciting moment of the holiday is coming. Only the woman whose only marriage has become truly happy should paint the bride's hands with henna. This is a very honorable duty. It is believed that in this way she conveys her life experience and her luck to the bride.

After drawing the drawings, sadness and sadness disappear, and the girls begin to dance and have fun until late at night.

Can the groom be present on henna night?

Previously, the presence of men, and even more so of the groom, was strictly forbidden. But today quite often the night of henna is held in the presence of the groom. Moreover, often the grooms sit down to the brides and also clamp henna in their fists.

Is it necessary to have a henna night?

Of course, in Muslim countries there is no law obliging all brides to spend a night of henna. But in Turkey, this ancient tradition is very revered and respected among women of all ages. When planning their own wedding, Turkish women do not forget to prepare for the night of henna. However, it is tacitly believed that a henna night can be held only once in a lifetime.

Turkish wedding rites: henna night (henna festival).

Source: http://evim.ucoz.com/forum/10-1929-1


Since ancient times, wedding celebrations in Turkey have been going on for several days. They usually begin on Monday, and the beginning of the wedding ceremonies is traditionally considered to be the transfer of the bride's dowry to the groom's house. The wedding procession solemnly carried the bride's dowry, hanging clothes, fruits and flowers on special wooden or metal "trees".
Turkish Wedding Rituals: Henna Night (Henna Festival)
Tuesday is considered the second day of wedding ceremonies. On Tuesday, the traditional “ablution” of the bride is held - according to ancient Turkish customs, the bride visited the bathhouse on this day before the wedding. And on Wednesday evening, according to tradition, a special holiday was held for the bride - “Henna Night” (kina gecesi).

"Henna Night" is an important component national rituals and wedding traditions in Turkey. This holiday is held in the female part (harem) of the house where the young wife will live after the wedding - most often this is the groom's house. And at the same time, while the women and the bride perform the traditional rites of the "henna night", the men gather in the men's part of this house (or another groom's house) and celebrate this event separately. Any Turkish woman can have “Henna Night” only once in her life, which gives this holiday a special meaning.

The ancient Turkish rites of "henna night" are very beautiful and significant. The bride (usually a young girl) dresses up in a special dress - bindalli. This is a luxurious, expensive dress, completely covered with beautiful traditional embroidery of the finest self made. Usually bindalli (dress for "henna night") is family heirloom, it is carefully kept in the family, used only for this ceremony and passed down from generation to generation.


The bride's face is covered with a red veil covered with gold sequins and sequins - through such a veil no one can see the girl's face, while the bride herself will see everyone. Henna for this ceremony is brought to the house by the groom's relatives on a special silver tray with two lit candles.

After all the participants of the “henna night” ritual have gathered together, the future mother-in-law rolls out a roll of silk fabric, which she brought her as a gift, like a carpet under the feet of the future daughter-in-law. The bride and her bridesmaids, with lit candles in their hands, go around all the guests, and during this procession, the bride's head is showered with coins, symbolizing wealth and fertility.


Having bypassed the guests, the bride moves along a rolled silk roll to her future mother-in-law (it often happens that it is at this moment that they meet for the first time). Approaching her, the bride bows her head and, as a sign of her deep respect, kisses the hand of her future mother-in-law.

The rite continues. There are trays with fruits, nuts, oriental sweets. Guests are offered traditional oriental pastries and marzipans. After that, songs and lamentations traditional for the “henna night” are heard. The melodies and words of these chants are so sad that they touch the bride to the depths of her soul, and she bursts into tears. And not in vain: the tears of the bride on the “night of henna”, according to Turkish beliefs, will bring the girl good luck and happiness in marriage.
After bitter girlish sobs to these ritual chants, the bride is seated on the sofa, and her future mother-in-law pours a full spoonful of henna into each palm of the girl and puts a gold coin into it. These gold coins in the hands of the bride symbolize good luck, wealth and abundance - the wishes of the girl from her future relatives.
After all these preludes comes the climax of the evening. Henna is brought, and the woman of all those present at the ceremony, who is the happiest in marriage, takes over. It is this woman who is given the honorable right to perform the henna ceremony. A woman paints the bride's palms, fingertips and big toes with henna. Unmarried bridesmaids also have their hands painted with henna - according to Turkish beliefs, this will help them get married in the near future.
The pattern applied with henna during this traditional ceremony on the “night of henna” will most clearly appear on the bride directly on the wedding day. Traditionally, during the henna process of this pre-wedding ceremony, the groom's initials may be artfully woven into the henna designs on the bride's hands. On the wedding night, the groom will have to find these initials on the bride's hand, and if he fails to do this, he will have to give her a gift.
Of course, the traditions of the groom looking for his initials in henna drawings on the bride's hand are rooted in the distant past and today they no longer carry any special semantic load. But in the old days, this ceremony was especially important in cases where the marriage was concluded exclusively by agreement between the parents of the young, and the bride and groom met for the first time in their lives at their own wedding. At that time, the ritual of the groom searching for his own initials on the hands of his bride was intended, first of all, to “melt the ice” between the newlyweds and create an atmosphere of some intimacy. Today, these ancient wedding ceremonies no longer carry such a special semantic load, but the “Henna Night” still remains an important component of wedding celebrations. This exceptionally beautiful and memorable ritual for the bride is perhaps the most important of all marriage ceremonies - not counting, of course, the wedding itself.







A small container is taken, a spoon, a cotton swab, a handkerchief, a spatula, a syringe, a bottle with a hole, scissors.
The powder made from henna should be put in a cup, diluted with warm water and lemon juice, so that after mixing everything, you get a thick slurry. For the best colors temporary henna tattoo, it is necessary to treat the skin with eucalyptus oil.

- Treat the skin with eucalyptus oil, then do peeling.
- We fill the syringe with henna
- We draw a picture with a felt-tip pen on a film, then apply it to the skin and circle the print with henna.
It is better to repeat this procedure twice. After that, in order to obtain the desired intensity of the color of the henna tattoo, we wait about an hour. Eucalyptus oil is applied to the skin. This is a very important nuance. Eucalyptus oil increases the drying time of the paint, which means its effect. The oil also opens the pores and promotes better penetration of the henna. In addition, thanks to the oil, the color of the picture becomes more saturated.
However, no more than three drops of eucalyptus oil should be rubbed in, so as not to cause skin irritation. If you have sensitive skin, it is recommended to carry out a special test beforehand. On the bend of the elbow you need to drop a little paint, eucalyptus and vegetable oil. Do not wash them for a period of time, then evaluate the effect. The main thing is to find out if there is irritation.
Post-procedural period
After the direct creation of the drawing, it is necessary to dry the work. Ideally, the drying process should take at least 1 hour. If it takes only a few minutes to dry, the color of the tattoo will turn out to be less intense or disappear altogether after some time.
The finished tattoo is usually dried in heat. During drying, to give the color of the tattoo a special brightness, you can periodically slightly moisten the image with lemon juice and sugar (in a ratio of 1: 2). The main thing is not to overdo it: the image can be smeared from excess moisture. It will be even better if you hold the tattoo under an infrared lamp during drying or just stay in the sun for a while.


How long does body henna last?
The dye obtained from henna can stay on the skin from several weeks to several months. The color begins to fade gradually after 3-4 weeks. Chlorinated water or soap can slow down the tarnishing process; alkali, on the contrary, can accelerate it. As soon as the paint reaches the peak of its intensity and brightness, it will begin to fade. It would be correct to say that the paint itself does not disappear, because as the skin cells die, and new ones appear in their place.



Henna for the body - side effects

Allergic reactions from contact with henna are very, very rare. In the most exceptional cases, itching may begin.

Henna night is a deeply rooted wedding ritual not only in Turkish culture, but also in many traditions of other Muslim and Hindu nations. It is usually held the day before the wedding, when the bride spends her last hours with her family and friends before she walks down the aisle and moves into her future husband's house.

In the center of the room, lit by burning candles, girls and women are comfortably seated on silk pillows. They all sing old sad songs, many of them cry at the same time. The whole room is filled with trays of oranges, fruits, oriental sweets and nuts. This is how this ancient Muslim rite of farewell to the bride goes…

Why the ritual was called "Henna Night"

This traditional farewell party can be called a bachelorette party. During this party, a ritual is performed, which is called "Henna Night". The future mother-in-law enters the room with a large silver tray. On it is a plate of diluted henna, as well as two lighted candles. The plate is covered with a red scarf. Lighted candles are a symbol of eternal love burning in the hearts of the newlyweds.

The bride with a tray walks around all the guests who shower her with coins to attract her to her future. married life happiness and wealth. After that, everyone sits down on silk pillows and begins to apply henna to each other's hands and feet of amazingly beautiful patterns, usually depicting plants, less often - a geometric ornament.

On the hands of the bride, the initials of the groom are necessarily woven into the drawing, which he must find on the wedding night.

How the ritual was performed before

All women present dress up in beautiful dresses. The color of the bride's dress is usually red. This is usually a velvet dress decorated with handmade embroidery. All patterns are made with gold thread. This dress is called "bindali", which translates as a dress for "Henna Night".

It is a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. The bride's head is adorned with a red scarf made of thin fabric covered with sequins. The girl's face is covered with a veil of the same color.

All the women and bridesmaids present begin to dance around her, singing a sad wedding song, which tells about a young girl leaving her parents' house forever. At the same time, the bride must definitely cry, since according to custom it is believed that her bitter crying will ensure her a happy family life!

Then the ritual of drawing henna drawings on the palms and feet begins. The bride, according to custom, first tightly clenched her fists.

Only after much persuasion does she open them and show her palms, where the future mother-in-law should put one gold coin each as a symbol of good luck, abundance and happiness. Then begins the application of henna on the palm of the drawings. To keep the painting until the wedding, the bride puts red gloves on her hands.

Innovations in the choice of location

After a long time, the tradition of holding the “Henna Night” has undergone significant changes. First of all, it affected the places where this ritual usually took place over the centuries. More recently, it was considered natural to hold a farewell bachelorette party at home. Today, this option is not even considered as an alternative.

Instead, parties began to be held in cafes, salons, rented hotels and, finally, in nightclubs. In Istanbul, most often high-class hotels are rented for this, such as Polat Renaissance or Four Seasons, from where a beautiful view of the Bosphorus opens.

Musical preferences

Big changes also affected the musical accompaniment of these parties. Everyone understands that at such celebrations one cannot do without music. However, instead of the traditional folk music and song Yuksek Yuksek Tepelere, which is usually performed on Henna Night, which is loved by all women of the older generation, the youth preferred pop melodies with a small admixture of oriental dance hits. Now, instead of old folk songs, hits performed by Lady Gaga, David Guetta or Rihanna are heard at the party.

Clothing changes

Today, brides, who are also called "henna queens", categorically refuse to spend the whole evening in the same dress at their bachelorette parties.

In addition to the traditional bindalli, in which they spend the ritual part of the Henna Night, girls prefer to have one or two more costumes. different colors and styles. To create such outfits, in addition to national clothing designers, international stars are often involved, such as Alexander McQueen, Ellie Saab, Cemil Ipekchi and others.