One of my favourite things about Eid is definitely getting my hands and arms beautifully adorned in henna. And, as the Chanel henna tattoos proved last season, getting henna done has never been more fashionable.
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| The wonderful floral and paisley designs of Gulf and Indian henna |
This Eid tradition unites women across the Middle East, South East Asia and North Africa, and the styles and designs differ from region to region, with North African henna being dark in bold geometric designs, while Gulf henna focuses on floral patterns, and Asian henna being so intricate that it almost looks like lace.
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| Geometric designs are the focus of North African bedouin henna |
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| Make a statement with dark and bold Sudanese henna |
What not to do when getting henna done
Forgetting to roll up your sleeves.
Smudging your henna by trying to send texts.
Peeling off crusty henna no matter how good it feels.
Washing it off...a big don't! Wait until the henna completely dries and falls off by itself and use a teeny bit of olive oil to help get off any crusty remains.
Washing the dishes...Fairy liquid may be fairy soft but will remove your henna prematurely (as I found out for myself).
The best place in Qatar to get your henna done? Definitely the Hilton Salon in Al Sadd (to the left of Royal Plaza, beside Nandos), known by locals as Zubeida Henna (named after the henna genius who runs it). Zubeida must make hundreds of thousands of riyals every Eid because for a week prior to Eid her salon is packed! On the day before last Eid I thought I would be clever and get there at 5:45am, 15 minutes before the salon opened, thinking I'd be the first one there and found a queue of women stetching out into the street...and I had to wait for 5 hours before it was my turn. But, it was definitely worth it.
Eid Mubarak everyone!
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