Moroccan henna traditions originate from religious rituals like Eid al-Adha and circumcision ceremonies. Henna is applied to ward off the "evil eye" and bring prosperity. It is believed that extravagant celebrations can provoke jealousy and evil spirits. Henna designs feature protective symbols like eyes. The traditions are especially important for brides to avoid evil spirits. Brides remain silent and have their eyes lined to not attract spirits. Henna ensures the success of rituals and protects participants from misfortune believed to be caused by the evil eye.

1. Moroccan Henna
Origin and Continuation

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.

23. My Henna and Real Henna

24. Reference
Henna’s Significance in Amazigh Id,
Circumcision and "Night of the Henna"
Celebrations. 2002. Catherine Cartwright Jones.
Tap Dancing Lizard LLC.