2. What is Henna?
• Henna is a type of “ink” that consists of dried
leaves, water, and egg whites.
• The mixture generally produces a dark green
color which after prolonged contact on skin
results in a dark yellow or orange taint.
• Henna resembles a tattoo but only lasts on the
skin for two weeks maximum.
• Henna art is composed of cultural designs ranging
from flowers to geometric patterns and images of
animals or eyes.
3. Origin: Three-fold
• Applied during “Eid Kabir” or “The Big
Celebration.”
--Based off of the story of Abraham bringing his
son to slaughter before God, but an angel
messenger relays to Abraham that a goat be used
instead of a boy as a sacrifice to God.
• Applied during the circumcision of boys.
--A religious ritual that follows a requirement as
written in the Quran.
• Applied during weddings.
--Women and men are adorned in Henna.
4. Purpose
• Drawn to represent the “Humsa,” Henna carries
the power to ward off the “Evil Eye” and ensure
the success of each ritual– Eid Kabir,
Circumcision, Wedding.
• The “Evil Eye” might represent the outcome of
losing a lot of money when it is spent on these
lavishly celebrated events. We all know how
expensive weddings can be, and Eid Kabir might
be similar to a Christian’s Christmas.
• With Henna, the risk of poverty because of such
expensive events (aka Evil Eye) is believed to be
reduced.
5. Outcome of Henna: Eid Kabir
• Henna ensures different successes pertaining to
each ritual, specifically in Morocco.
• If Eid Kabir is successful (thanks to the protection
of Henna), then there will be plenty of rainfall
and prosperity for all participating families.
• Eid Kabir and henna are public demonstrations.
• Historically in Morocco, publically appearing
Muslim rather than Jewish or Christian resulted in
lower taxes, friendly trading, and higher social
status.
6. Outcome: Circumcision
• According to Islam, the act of circumcision proves
that man is not an animal but a principled and
moral being.
• Because circumcision applies to boys in Islam –
not to babies like in Judaism – circumcision is a
known, public act.
• After circumcision, a boy is recognized as a
Muslim man, resulting in a higher social position
in the Islam-dominant country of Morocco.
7. Outcome: Wedding
• Everything is meant to be extravagant: food,
lodging, clothing, make-up, henna.
• A wedding symbolizes a family’s wealth, power,
and control– particularly displayed in its grasp
over its daughters.
• A powerful family has virgin daughters.
• A family displays the hymeneal blood of the bride
after her intercourse with the groom as proof that
she was a virgin.
• Henna ensures that a bride’s social status is
protected as a future wife and mother.
8. General Outcome
• Henna wards off the evil eye’s release of drought,
disease, and barrenness onto Moroccans.
• It brings prosperity, health, and growing families.
• Henna brings “baraka,” or blessedness to every
ritual.
9. Provocations of Evil Eye
• The Evil Eye might come from a jealous bystander
watching a family’s extravagant public festival.
• The Eye might come from the shedding of
innocent blood, which occurs in every festival. --
Blood is believed to attract “jnun” or evil spirits.
• The Evil Eye is like an “Image of Limited Good.”
10. “Limited Good”
• The belief that Good is portioned out to people
and there is not enough good for every single
person if one person acquires more Good than
others.
• In Moroccan rural villages, there is limited food,
water, resources.
• Child mortality rates are high.
• There is a limited amount of healthy, attractive
male suitors.
11. Jealousy: Natural and Supernatural
• Wealthy (aka Good) celebrations for Eid Kabir,
circumcision and weddings are a source of
jealousy from potential Evil Eye-ers.
• Mirroring the natural world, whose jealous eyes
are attracted to abundance, abundance attracts
supernatural evil spirits such as “jnun.”
12. Example Effects of Evil Eye
• If a hungry man looks at a rich man’s buffet of
food, he renders all of the food poisonous.
• If a healthy baby is praised out loud, it becomes
prone to disease and infirmity.
• A beautiful bride is at risk of death from
childbirth if viewed by the Evil Eye.
13. Evil Eye on Eid Kabir
• If animal sacrificed for Eid Kabir is not large and
fat, a family’s social status is threatened.
• On the other hand, a family with a large
sacrificial animal is likely to attract poor people
to its doorstep in hopes of receiving scraps of
meat.
• The poor bring the Evil Eye, as does being too
poor to own a large sacrificial animal.
14. Evil Eye on Circumcision
• Circumcision can lead to uncontrolled bleeding,
erectile dysfunction, and even accidental severing
of the penis.
• Professional circumcisers carry a string of
foreskins with them as proof of their experience.
• That way, if faced with accusations of botched
circumcision, circumcisers show their collection of
foreskins to the court.
• The blame is then placed on the Evil Eye.
15. Evil Eye on Weddings
• Because a bride is believed to be the most
beautiful creature in the world, she attracts the
most malicious “jnun.”
• As a bride she is in a magical state and so she may
not cast her eyes on anything lest it cause
disaster. A bride’s eyes are continuously
downcast.
• Jnun might “steal a bride” from the nuptial
chamber, only to have the family find her hiding
in her father’s house.
• After she is released from the possession of jnun,
she is returned to the chamber in order to
consummate the union.
16. More on Weddings
• “Jnun” are believed to dwell in the earth.
• Henna is sprinkled in the bride’s shoes to
protect her from the earth-dwelling jnun.
• Henna is sprinkled on the mule’s saddle before
the bride is led seven times around a saint’s
tomb so that jnun do not follow her as she is
led to her husband’s house.
17. Bride’s Duties
• A bride may not speak throughout the ceremony
because her voice (and eyes) are believed to
provoke the Evil Eye.
• She must be silent on the journey to her
husband’s home, during which she is covered in a
blanket so that jnun cannot follow her.
• Upon her husband’s fields and animals she
sprinkles henna.
• The “Ait Yusi” tribe in Morocco have the bride
throw a lamb over a tent in her husband’s field in
order that the livestock of the village flourish.
18. More on Circumcision
• A boy is also carried on a mule to a saint’s shrine
where the circumcision takes place.
• He is carried so that he avoids contact with earth-
dwelling jnun.
• He is hooded while riding to mule so that jnun
may not gaze on him.
• Henna is applied on the circumcised part and also
has a cooling, alleviating effect.
• Boy’s eyes might be ringed with kohl, a black
eyeliner that is believed to possess “baraka” or
blessedness.
19. Even More on Weddings
• In Fez, the bride-to-be goes to the “hammam” or
public bath to be cleansed by seven chanting
women with seven buckets.
• Jnun are believed to dwell in the hammams.
• During the day of the wedding, brides are
encouraged to weep or appear sad, so as to
deceive jnun from intruding on an joyous
occasion.
• Most brides are genuinely unhappy because she
may never see her family again after she marries
and may face an indifferent husband or mean
mother-in-law until she produces a male child.
20. Night of Henna
• On the “Night of Henna” or the night of
consummation, the new wife’s family might insert
a pigeon’s heart into her vagina so that blood
spills on the sheets of the nuptial bed during
intercourse.
• Most women do not bleed during their first
experience with intercourse. About 30% of virgin
women bleed. (Westermarck, 1914: 246)
21. Henna Symbols
• Symbols are typically sharp and linear which
represent fingers that gauge out the Evil Eye.
• Drawings of an eye is meant to counter the stare
of the Evil Eye and to cause Evil Eye to blink.
• Diamonds symbolize a staring eye as well.
24. Reference
Henna’s Significance in Amazigh Id,
Circumcision and "Night of the Henna"
Celebrations. 2002. Catherine Cartwright Jones.
Tap Dancing Lizard LLC.