Library brings art of Mehndi to Greeley community members

The smell of lavender, lemon and henna paste filled the craft room during the Art of Mehndi event Saturday at the Lincoln Park Branch Library. Community members designed henna tattoos that they painted on their hands, wrists and arms.

The library hosted the event as part of Common Read, a program designed by library employees to create a community that goes beyond age barriers and brings people together to read the same book.

"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is the current common read. The Art of Mehndi event was inspired from scenes from the book.

The library provided all of the supplies for the henna tattoos, including the henna paste, rolled henna cones for application, the tattoo sealants like essential oils and glitter, and henna designs that hung around the room for participants to copy if they chose.

"I found out about this event through mentoring," said Francis Garcia, a resident of Greeley. "It's really fun to come to the library and learn new crafts. It's also free and not a lot of things are free these days."

To kick off the event, Kristy Schwartz, a library associate who assisted with coordinating the event, went over a little history of Mehndi and explained that it is traditionally used for weddings and takes a little more than 12 hours to dry and set on the skin.

"Usually, when a woman has henna put on, four or five ladies are drawing on her at the same time on her hands, feet, arms and legs," Schwartz said. "The bride is very adored prior to her wedding day and the other women take very good care of her."

The art of Mehndi has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. As a modern art, it has many functions. People from different cultures use it for different types of celebrations, such as the end of Ramadan.

"Every year at the end of Ramadan, I get my entire arm henna tattooed at the Islamic center we go to in Fort Collins," said Semalie Chum, 14, of Greeley, who free-handed her own henna tattoo on the back of her hand.

Other participants used carbon transfer paper to trace henna designs that they drew them onto their arms or wrists. Designs included intricate traditional patterns and a few simple designs such as frogs and smiley faces that some of the younger participants drew.

Overall, the event was successful and the Lincoln Park Branch Library staff members said they look forward to more successful events such as the Art of Mehndi.