Girlicious was an American girl group originally formed by Robin Antin, creator of the Pussycat Dolls, from The CW reality TV show Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious. The group was originally signed to Geffen Records and composed of members Nichole Cordova, Tiffanie Anderson, Chrystina Sayers and Natalie Mejia. Their self-titled debut album was released in Canada in August 2008 and reached number two on the Canadian Albums Chart. After Anderson left the group in June 2009, Girlicious signed with Universal Music Canada and released their second studio album, Rebuilt, in November 2010. Mejia and Sayers departed the group in February 2011. Nichole Cordova later announced the end of Girlicious, and her joining a new girl group called Girls United.

History

2007–2009: Formation on Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious and Girlicious
Following the airing of first season of the show Pussycat Dolls Present, Robin Antin sought to create a new girl group called Girlicious, as well as a second season of the show entitled Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious. The show began production in the summer of 2007 with 15 finalists being chosen. The show's episodes included improvisation challenges, group or solo performances, as well as drama and tension between the girls. Originally the group was to be a trio, but was conceived as a quartet through a final decision of creator Robin Antin on the show's season finale. The four chosen members, Nichole Cordova, Tiffanie Anderson, Natalie Meija, and Chrystina Sayers began recording their debut album in the fall of 2007, while the show was being edited and prepared for airing on The CW network.

They received greater attention and major success from Canadian audiences, receiving platinum certification in Canada for their self-titled debut album Girlicious. The album peaked at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart. The group was nominated at the Teen Choice Awards for "Breakout Group" of the year, and Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious was nominated for "Reality: Music Competition" in 2008.

It was confirmed on June 11, 2009, via a YouTube video upload from Tiffanie Anderson's official YouTube channel, that she was no longer a member of Girlicious. In the video, Anderson cites changes with their new record label and sound, stating: "Robin Antin and the label were looking for a new direction for the group [...] they were looking for the group to not be [urban] any longer". She also speaks of personal differences between some of the girls, saying the group was not seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things: "a couple of the girls and I didn't have the same values or the same morals – causing a huge conflict in the end of it all." On Sunday, June 21, 2009. Girlicious appeared live at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Canada as nominees and presenters. The group won the award for "Most Watched Video" for "Like Me". Their video for "Stupid Shit" came in at second place.

2009–2011: Rebuilt and split

In late 2009, the group went into the studio to start recording music for their second studio album. In December 2009 the group announced they had moved from Geffen Records and that they had signed a record deal with Universal Music Canada. The sound for the album will go in a more "Pop" direction, and further away from the Hip-Hop/R&B sound featured on their first album. The group's first single titled "Over You", was sent to Canadian radio stations on December 25, 2009. The song was released to Canadian iTunes on January 5, 2010. The song peaked at number 57 on The Hits Charts (Airplay): Top 100 Singles and number 52 on Canadian Hot 100. The group's second single titled "Maniac" was released to Canadian iTunes on April 6, 2010. The music video was shot on April 6 in LA at an abandoned hospital. It peaked as number 72 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. The girls were featured on the Jersey Shore Soundtrack, with a song titled "Drank". It was then released on July 20, 2010, to digital retailers in Canada and the United States as a promotional single for Rebuilt. The promotional single featured guest rapper Spose. On August 31, 2010, the girls released their third single titled "2 In the Morning". It made a Hot Shot Debut on the Canada Hot 100 reaching number 57. The song then moved up five places to number 52 in the week of September 16. Then, on the week of November 13, 2010, the song reached its peak at number 35. On September 26 they taped a performance of "Maniac" for Playboy's Beach House, which aired in January 2011. Their second album, Rebuilt, was released on November 22 in Canada reaching number five on the pop album chart.

On February 26, 2011, the group confirmed the exit of Sayers and Mejia via their Facebook and Twitter accounts. It was stated that Cordova was still part of the group and very much ready to get on with the future of Girlicious. After the departure of the girls, "Hate Love" was released as the fourth single from Rebuilt. The song debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 97 in the week of April 2, 2011. In the week of April 30, 2011, the song reached its peak at number 59 while also reaching number 19 on the Canadian Top 40. On June 17, 2011, Cordova performed alongside Carmen Electra on the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Revue Tour. In October 2011, Cordova announced and confirmed the band's hiatus and also hinted about new members. In May 2012, the group's profile page on Universal Music Canada's website had been removed, confirming they had been dropped by the label.

Timeline

Members

Chrystina Sayers

Chrystina Lauren Sakamoto Sayers (born August 14, 1986) is from San Diego, California. She is of Jamaican, Irish, African American, Japanese and Native American descent. She was encouraged to audition for the show by Lamount Pete, a casting director who had heard some of her songs at a recording studio. After winning her spot in the group she joined other members to form Girlicious.

Chrystina announced her departure in early February 2011, later telling VIBE Vixen in September 2012 that her reason was because she felt Girlicious "was over when Natalie had her cocaine charge. I really thought she was going to go to jail. I honestly didn't want to be affiliated with someone like that. Then everything started to get better when we were working on our second album but then one of the girl's behavior started to get erratic. I had to question if this was going to continue because it was getting out of control."

On January 29, 2012, it was revealed that Sayers was set to join the new fourth line-up of the Pussycat Dolls. However, on April 13, 2012, it was announced that Sayers was no longer a part of the project. She released her debut solo single, "Alive", on September 28, 2012. Her debut solo EP "LEO" was released on September 8, 2016, on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. On January 18, 2018, she released a snippet of a song called "Whoa" that is set to be featured on an upcoming release.

Nichole Cordova

Nichole Marie Cordova (born August 17, 1988) is from Houston, Texas, where she has been singing since the age of four. She was offered a chance to start recording her very first demo at the age of 14. In 2007, Nichole recorded over 50 songs in the hopes of releasing her own album. Aside from singing, she is also a trained ballet dancer and teacher for over ten years. Cordova cites Jill Scott, Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera as musical influences.

Nichole Cordova performed her first solo performance with the En Vogue's version of "Something He Can Feel" on the season finale of Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious, where she became the first member of Girlicious. She received high praise from the judges for her performance of "Something He Can Feel" with them describing it as "unexpected" and solid. Cordova landed the lead female role in Dutch Marich's horror film Bleed Out as Taylor. On June 17, 2011, Cordova performed alongside Carmen Electra on the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Revue Tour. In 2013, she appeared on The X Factor USA, with a group called Girls United. The trio was eliminated early in the competition. Cordova got engaged to her unknown boyfriend after 5 years of dating on October 21, 2016, in Italy

Tiffanie Anderson

Tiffanie Adair Anderson (born August 15, 1988) is a singer and dancer from Los Angeles, California. During her time on the reality show, she and Cordova were the only two contestants to have never made it into the bottom two. During the finale of Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious, she became the second member of Girlicious. On June 11, 2009, via a YouTube video, Anderson revealed that she was no longer a member of Girlicious, citing changes with their new record label and sound.
Tiffanie is now a visual artist, having reached over 100k followers on her Instagram page theprettyartist.

Natalie Mejia

Natalie Nicole Mejia (born May 7, 1988) is from Diamond Bar, California. She was born in West Covina, California. Mejia is of Mexican and Cuban descent. Her musical idols are Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. She attended Diamond Ranch High School and was a graduate for the Class of 2006. She studied dancing from the age of nine at the Millennium Dance Complex. She won her position in the group in the season finale along with Tiffanie Anderson, Chrystina Sayers and Nichole Cordova. Before Girlicious, she was a member of two musical groups: Cherri, of which she was a member from 2001 until 2003 and then Breathe, which formed in 2005 and disbanded in 2007. Breathe was an opening act for Sean Paul. After two albums with the group she announced her departure along with Sayers in February 2011. After leaving the band, she was due to join a new group but the project fell through as Randy Jackson decided to focus on American Idol and Mariah Carey's new album.

As of July 2012, Mejia had been confirmed as one of the five new Pussycat Dolls. It is thought she was drafted in as a replacement for Chrystina. However, in November 2012 it was revealed that Mejia was no longer a part of the group and was instead replaced by Emmalyn Estrada.

In June 2012 she married her boyfriend, Johnny Roberts. On December 1, 2012, Mejia revealed that she was expecting her first child and due to her situation she made a choice not to continue as a part of the Pussycat Dolls. On May 11, 2013, Mejia gave birth to a daughter, Calista Estrella. Mejia and Roberts split in 2014 for unknown reason.

In 2014, Mejia announced the formation of a new group with her sisters, Jazzy and Taylor, called The Mejia Sisters. Their debut single "Stray" was released on August 18, 2014. The band split and Natalie continued in solo career. Mejia released her debut solo EP "L.O.V.E." (an acronym for Living On Vibrational Energy) on July 7, 2016, on iTunes worldwide with following single "Clumsy".

On May 25, 2016, she announced that she got engaged to her boyfriend, Joel Cruz by Jamaican Sea. They married on January 8, 2017, and in March announced that they are expecting a child in fall. She gave birth on 12 October 2017 to a son, Joel Zion. Since December 2017 she's been on hiatus on social media. On June 26, 2019, Natalie's sister Jazzy Mejia posted Instagram maternity shoot of Natalie and her husband announcing her 3rd pregnancy.

Discography

 Girlicious (2008)
 Rebuilt (2010)

Tours
Headlining
 The Girlicious Tour (2008–2009)

As opening act
 Backstreet Boys – Unbreakable Tour (2008)
 Britney Spears – The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009)

Awards and nominations

See also
 Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious
 Pussycat Dolls
 Robin Antin
 Paradiso Girls
 G.R.L.
 List of girl groups

References

External links

 Girlicious at Last.fm

American dance music groups
American pop girl groups
American pop music groups
American contemporary R&B musical groups
Geffen Records artists
Universal Music Group artists
Musical groups established in 2007
Musical groups from Los Angeles
American musical quartets
Musical groups disestablished in 2011
Participants in American reality television series
The X Factor (American TV series) contestants


Henna () is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, and one of the only two species of the genus Lawsonia, with the other being Lawsonia odorata.

Henna can also refer to the temporary body art resulting from the staining of the skin using dyes from the henna plant. After henna stains reach their peak color, they hold for a few days, then gradually wear off by way of exfoliation, typically within one to three weeks.

Henna has been used since antiquity in ancient Egypt, ancient Near East and then the Indian subcontinent to dye skin, hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool, and leather. Historically, henna was used in West Asia including the Arabian Peninsula and in Carthage, other parts of North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

The name henna is used in other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna and neutral henna, neither of which is derived from the henna plant.

Etymology
The word henna comes from the Arabic  (ALA-LC: ḥinnāʾ; pronounced ).

Preparation and application

Body art
Whole, unbroken henna leaves will not stain the skin because the active chemical agent, lawsone, is bound within the plant. However, dried henna leaves will stain the skin if they are mashed into a paste. The lawsone will gradually migrate from the henna paste into the outer layer of the skin and bind to the proteins in it, creating a stain.

Since it is difficult to form intricate patterns from coarsely crushed leaves, henna is commonly traded as a powder made by drying, milling and sifting the leaves. The dry powder is mixed with one of a number of liquids, including water, lemon juice, strong tea, and other ingredients, depending on the tradition. Many artists use sugar or molasses in the paste to improve consistency to keep it stuck to the skin better. The henna mix must rest between one and 48 hours before use in order to release the lawsone from the leaf matter. The timing depends on the crop of henna being used. Essential oils with high levels of monoterpene alcohols, such as tea tree, cajuput, or lavender, will improve skin stain characteristics. Other essential oils, such as eucalyptus and clove, are not used because they are too irritating to the skin.

The paste can be applied with many traditional and innovative tools, starting with a basic stick or twig. In Morocco, a syringe is common. A plastic cone similar to those used to pipe icing onto cakes is used in India. A light stain may be achieved within minutes, but the longer the paste is left on the skin, the darker and longer lasting the stain will be, so it needs to be left on as long as possible.  To prevent it from drying or falling off the skin, the paste is often sealed down by dabbing a sugar/lemon mix over the dried paste or adding some form of sugar to the paste. After some time the dry paste is simply brushed or scraped away. The paste should be kept on the skin for a minimum of four to six hours, but longer times and even wearing the paste overnight is a common practice. Removal should not be done with water, as water interferes with the oxidation process of stain development. Cooking oil may be used to loosen dry paste.

Henna stains are orange when the paste is first removed, but darken over the following three days to a deep reddish brown due to oxidation. Soles and palms have the thickest layer of skin and so take up the most lawsone, and take it to the greatest depth, so that hands and feet will have the darkest and most long-lasting stains. Some also believe that steaming or warming the henna pattern will darken the stain, either during the time the paste is still on the skin, or after the paste has been removed. It is debatable whether this adds to the color of the result as well. After the stain reaches its peak color, it holds for a few days, then gradually wears off by way of exfoliation, typically within one to three weeks.

Natural henna pastes containing only henna powder, a liquid (water, lemon juice, etc.) and an essential oil (lavender, cajuput, tea tree etc.) are not "shelf stable," meaning they expire quickly, and cannot be left out on a shelf for over one week without losing their ability to stain the skin.

The leaf of the henna plant contains a finite amount of lawsone. As a result, once the powder has been mixed into a paste, this leaching of dye molecule into the mixture will only occur for an average of two to six days. If a paste will not be used within the first few days after mixing, it can be frozen for up to four months to halt the dye release, for thawing and use at a later time. Commercially packaged pastes that remain able to stain the skin longer than seven days without refrigeration or freezing contain other chemicals besides henna that may be dangerous to the skin. After the initial seven-day release of lawsone dye, the henna leaf is spent, therefore any dye created by these commercial cones on the skin after this time period is actually the result of other compounds in the product. These chemicals are often undisclosed on packaging, and have a wide range of colors including what appears to be a natural looking color stain produced by dyes such as sodium picramate. These products often do not contain any henna. There are many adulterated henna pastes such as these, and others, for sale today that are erroneously marketed as "natural", "pure", or "organic", all containing potentially dangerous undisclosed additives. The length of time a pre-manufactured paste takes to arrive in the hands of consumers is typically longer than the seven-day dye release window of henna, therefore one can reasonably expect that any pre-made mass-produced cone that is not shipped frozen is a potentially harmful adulterated chemical variety. ·

Henna only stains the skin one color, a variation of reddish brown, at full maturity three days after application.

Powdered fresh henna, unlike pre-mixed paste, can be easily shipped all over the world and stored for many years in a well-sealed package.

Body art quality henna is often more finely sifted than henna powders for hair.

Hair/eyebrow dye

History

In Ancient Egypt, Ahmose-Henuttamehu (17th Dynasty, 1574 BCE) was probably a daughter of Seqenenre Tao and Ahmose Inhapy. Smith reports that the mummy of Henuttamehu's own hair had been dyed a bright red at the sides, probably with henna.

In Europe, henna was popular among women connected to the aesthetic movement and the Pre-Raphaelite artists of England in the 1800s. Dante Gabriel Rossetti's wife and muse, Elizabeth Siddal, had naturally bright red hair. Contrary to the cultural tradition in Britain that considered red hair unattractive, the Pre-Raphaelites fetishized red hair. Siddal was portrayed by Rossetti in many paintings that emphasized her flowing red hair. The other Pre-Raphaelites, including Evelyn De Morgan and Frederick Sandys, academic classicists such as Frederic Leighton, and French painters such as Gaston Bussière and the Impressionists, further popularized the association of henna-dyed hair and young bohemian women.

Opera singer Adelina Patti is sometimes credited with popularizing the use of henna in Europe in the late nineteenth century. Parisian courtesan Cora Pearl was often referred to as La Lune Rousse (the red-haired moon) for dying her hair red. In her memoirs, she relates an incident when she dyed her pet dog's fur to match her own hair. By the 1950s, Lucille Ball popularized "henna rinse" as her character, Lucy Ricardo, called it on the television show I Love Lucy. It gained popularity among young people in the 1960s through growing interest in Eastern cultures.

Muslim men may use henna as a dye for hair and most particularly their beards. This is considered sunnah, a commendable tradition of the Prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, a hadith (narration of the Prophet) holds that he encouraged Muslim women to dye their nails with henna to demonstrate femininity and distinguish their hands from those of men. Thus, some Muslim women in the Middle East apply henna to their finger and toenails as well as their hands.

Today
Commercially packaged henna, intended for use as a cosmetic hair dye, originated in ancient Egypt and the ancient Near East and is now popular in many countries in South Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. The color that results from dyeing with henna depends on the original color of the hair, as well as the quality of the henna, and can range from orange to auburn to burgundy. Henna can be mixed with other natural hair dyes, including Cassia obovata for lighter shades of red or even blond and indigo to achieve brown and black shades. Some products sold as "henna" include these other natural dyes. Others may include metal salts that can interact with other chemical treatments, or oils and waxes that may inhibit the dye, or dyes which may be allergens.

Apart from its use as a hair dye, henna has recently been used as a temporal substitute to eyebrow pencil or even as eyebrow embroidery.

Traditions of henna as body art

The different words for henna in ancient languages imply that it had more than one point of discovery and origin, as well as different pathways of daily and ceremonial use.
It is important to note that the modern term "Henna tattoo" is a marketing term only.  Henna does not tattoo the skin and is not considered tattooing.

Henna has been used to adorn young women's bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations since the late Bronze Age in the Eastern Mediterranean. The earliest text mentioning henna in the context of marriage and fertility celebrations comes from the Ugaritic legend of Baal and Anath, which has references to women marking themselves with henna in preparation to meet their husbands, and Anath adorning herself with henna to celebrate a victory over the enemies of Baal.
Wall paintings excavated at Akrotiri (dating prior to the eruption of Thera in 1680 BCE) show women with markings consistent with henna on their nails, palms and soles, in a tableau consistent with the henna bridal description from Ugarit. Many statuettes of young women dating between 1500 and 500 BCE along the Mediterranean coastline have raised hands with markings consistent with henna. This early connection between young, fertile women and henna seems to be the origin of the Night of the Henna, which is now celebrated in all the middle east.

The Night of the Henna was celebrated by most groups in the areas where henna grew naturally: Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Zoroastrians, among others, all celebrated marriages and weddings by adorning the bride, and often the groom, with henna.

Across the henna-growing region, Purim, Eid, Diwali, Karva Chauth, Passover, Nowruz, Mawlid, and most saints' days were celebrated with some henna. Favorite horses, donkeys, and salukis had their hooves, paws, and tails hennaed. Battle victories, births, circumcision, birthdays, Zār, as well as weddings, usually included some henna as part of the celebration. Bridal henna nights remain an important custom in many of these areas, particularly among traditional families.

Henna was regarded as having Barakah ("blessings"), and was applied for luck as well as joy and beauty. Brides typically had the most henna, and the most complex patterns, to support their greatest joy and wishes for luck. Some bridal traditions were very complex, such as those in Yemen, where the Jewish bridal henna process took four or five days to complete, with multiple applications and resist work.

The fashion of "Bridal Mehndi" in North Indian, Bangladesh, Northern Libya and in Pakistan is currently growing in complexity and elaboration, with new innovations in glitter, gilding, and fine-line work. Recent technological innovations in grinding, sifting, temperature control, and packaging henna, as well as government encouragement for henna cultivation, have improved dye content and artistic potential for henna.

Though traditional henna artists were from the Nai caste in India, and barbering castes in other countries (lower social classes), talented contemporary henna artists can command high fees for their work. Women in countries where women are discouraged from working outside the home can find socially acceptable, lucrative work doing henna. Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, India and many other countries have thriving women's henna businesses. These businesses are often open all night for Eid, Diwali and Karva Chauth. Many women may work together during a large wedding, wherein hundreds of guests have henna applied to their body parts. This particular event at a marriage is known as the Mehndi Celebration or Mehndi Night, and is mainly held for the bride and groom.

Regions

Algeria
In Algeria, brides receive gifts of jewelry and have henna painted on their hands prior to their weddings.

Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, henna is also known as "kheena". Afghan tradition holds that henna brings good luck and happiness. It is used by both men and women on many occasions such as wedding nights, Nawroz, Eidul fitr, Eidul Adha, Shabe-e Barat, and circumcision celebrations.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, women use mehndi on hands on occasions like weddings and engagements as well as during Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and other events. In wedding ceremonies, the Mehndi ceremony has traditionally been separated into two events; one organized by the bride's family, and one by the groom's family. These two events are solely dedicated for adorning the bride and groom in Mehndi and is known as a 'Mehndi Shondha' meaning the Evening of Mehndi.

Some brides tend to go for Alta. Sometimes Hindu women also apply Mehendi instead (or along with) Alta on their feet during the Bodhu Boron ceremony.

Bulgaria
In an attempt to ritually clean a bride before her wedding day, Bulgarian Romani decorate the bride with a blot of henna. This blot symbolizes the drop of blood on the couples' sheets after consummating the marriage and breaking the female's hymen. The tradition also holds that the longer the henna lasts, the longer the husband will love his new bride.

Egypt
In Egypt, the bride gathers with her friends the night before her wedding day to celebrate the henna night.

India

In India, Hindu women have motifs and tattoos on hands and feet on occasions like weddings and engagements. In Kerala, women and girls, especially brides, have their hands decorated with Mailanchi. In North Indian wedding ceremonies, there is one evening solely dedicated for adorning the bride and groom in Mehndi, also known as 'Mehndi ki raat.

Iran
In Iran, the most common use of henna is among the long wedding rituals practiced in Iran. The henna ritual, which is called ḥanā-bandān, is held for both the bride and the bridegroom during the wedding week The ceremony is held prior to the wedding and is a traditional farewell ritual for newlyweds before they officially start their life together in a new house. The ceremonies take place in the presence of family members, friends, relatives, neighbors, and guests.

In Iran, Māzār () is indicating a job title for a person whose work is associated with the milling or grinding henna leaves and sell it in a powder form. This type of business is an old job still alive in some parts of Iran, especially in the world recognized archeologically ancient "Yazd" province. The most famous one is a family owned business by "Mazar Atabaki" families resided in the land hundreds of years ago. Māzāri () is a place for milling henna mixed with other herbs.

Israel & Palestine
In historical Palestine, now in Israel and territories of the Palestinian National Authority, some Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities and families, also Druze, Christian and Muslim ones, host henna parties the night or week before a wedding, according to familial customs. The use of henna in this region can be traced as far back to the Song of Songs in which the author wrote, "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi." Sephardic Jews and Mizrahi Jews, such as Moroccan Jews and Yemenite Jews who have immigrated to Israel, continue these familial customs.

Malaysia
In Malaysia, henna () is used to adorn the bride and groom's hands before the wedding at a berinai ceremony.

Morocco

In Morocco, henna is applied symbolically when individuals go through life cycle events. Moroccans refer to the paste as henna and the designs as naqsh, which means painting or inscription. In Morocco, there are two types of henna artists: non-specialists, who traditionally partake in wedding rituals, and specialists, who partake in tourism and decorative henna. Nqaasha, the low-end Henna specialists, are known for attracting tourists, which they refer to as gazelles or international tourists, in artisan slang.

For Moroccans, a wedding festival can last up to 5 days, with 2 days involving henna art. One of these days is referred to as azmomeg (meaning unknown), and is the Thursday before the wedding where guests are invited to apply henna to the bride. The other henna ceremony occurs after the wedding ceremony, called the Day of Henna. On this day, typically an older woman applies henna to the bride after she dips in the mikveh to ward off evil spirits who may be jealous of the newlyweds. The groom is also painted with henna after the wedding. During the groom's henna painting, he commonly wears black clothing, this tradition emerged from the Pact of Umar as the Jews were not permitted to dress similar to colorful Muslim dress in Morocco.

Pakistan
In Pakistan, henna is often used in weddings, Eid ul fitr, Eidul Adha, milad and other events. The henna ceremony is known as the Rasm-e-Heena, which is often one of the most important pre-wedding ceremonies celebrated by both the bride and groom's families. The night of mehndi, as the gathering at which the application of the henna is performed, usually falls on the second day of the festivities and one day before the wedding itself. The process commonly involves only the bride and groom but also can include close friends or other family members. The hands of the wedding couple are elegantly painted on this night to act as a sign of their union.

Somalia
In Somalia, henna has been used for centuries, it is cultivated from the leaves of the Ellan tree, which grows wild in the mountainous regions of Somalia. It is used for practical purposes such as dying hair and also more extravagantly by coloring the  fingers and toes of  married women and creating intricate designs. It is also applied to the hands and feet of young Somali women in preparation for their weddings and all the Islamic celebrations. Sometimes also done by young school girls for several occasions

Spain
Henna was cultivated in the Nasrid kingdom of Granada and applied to the face and hair by both sexes.
After the Castilian conquest of Granada (1492), it was forbidden for Moriscos as it was a sign distinguishing them from Old Christians.
After the expulsion of the Moriscos (1609-1614), cultivation ceased.

Sudan
In Sudan, Henna dyes are regarded with a special sanctity in Sudan and for that reason they are always present during happy occasions: weddings and children circumcisions, in particular.

Henna has been part of Sudan's social and cultural heritage ever since the days of Sudan's ancient civilizations where both would-be couples get their hands and feet pigmented with this natural dye.

Children also have their hands and feet dyed with henna during their circumcision festivity.

Tunisia
In Tunisia, The traditional wedding process begins 8 days before the wedding ceremony when a basket is delivered to the bride, which contains henna. The mother of the groom supervises the process in order to ensure all is being done correctly. Today, the groom accompanies the bride in the ritual at the henna party, but the majority of henna painting is done on the bride's body.

Turkey

During the Victorian era, Turkey was a major exporter of henna for use in dying hair. Henna parties were commonly practiced in Turkey similarly to Arab countries.

Yemen
For Yemenite Jews, most of them living in Israel, the purpose of a henna party is to ward off evil from the couple before their wedding. In some areas, the party has evolved from tradition to an opportunity for the family to show off their wealth in the dressing of the bride. For other communities, it is practiced as a ritual that has been passed on for generations. The dressing of the bride is typically done by a post-menopausal woman in the bride's family. Often, the dresser of the bride sings to the bride as she is dressed in exquisite designs. These songs discuss marriage, what married life is like, and address the feelings a bride may have before her wedding. The costumes worn by Yemenite brides to their henna parties is considered some of the most exquisite attire in the Yemenite community. These outfits include robes, headwear, and often several pounds of silver jewelry. This jewelry often holds fresh green herbs to ward off the Jinn in keeping with the ritual element of the party.

The zavfa is the procession of the bride from her mother's house to the Henna Party. During the zavfa, the guests of the party sing traditional songs to the bride and bang on tin plates and drums to ward off evil. Today, it is common for the groom to join in on this aspect of the ritual, although traditionally it was only for the bride. During the party, guests eat, sing, and dance. Initially, the singing and dancing was to ward off the Jinn with loud noises, but today these elements are associated with the mitzvah of entertaining the bride and groom on their wedding day.

In the middle of the party, the bride returns to her home to be painted in henna mixed by her mother. The mixture consists of rose water, eggs, cognac, salt, and shadab, believed to be a magical herb that repels evil. The bride changes into a less elaborate outfit and incense is burned while she is painted with henna. Then, another zavfa (procession) occurs as the bride returns to her party.

Back at the henna party, the bride sits on stage while family members and friends come up to her to have their palms marked with blots of henna. These marks represent the long-lasting marriage as henna remains for many days. It also represents the blood from breaking the hymen upon consummating the marriage on the wedding night. Others add that the red stain on the hands of the guests is to mislead the evil spirits of the Jinn who are looking for the bride. After the painting, the party ends after lasting about 4 or 5 hours.

Health effects

Henna is known to be dangerous to people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD deficiency), which is more common in males than females. Infants and children of particular ethnic groups, mainly from the Middle East and North Africa, are especially vulnerable.

Though user accounts cite few other negative effects of natural henna paste, save for occasional mild allergic reactions (often associated with lemon juice or essential oils in a paste and not the henna itself), pre-mixed commercial henna body art pastes may have undisclosed ingredients added to darken stain, or to alter stain color. The health risks involved in pre-mixed paste can be significant. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does consider these risks to be adulterants and therefore illegal for use on skin. Some commercial pastes have been noted to include: p-Phenylenediamine, sodium picramate, amaranth (red dye #2 banned in the US in 1976), silver nitrate, carmine, pyrogallol, disperse orange dye, and chromium. These have been found to cause allergic reactions, chronic inflammatory reactions, or late-onset allergic reactions to hairdressing products and textile dyes.

Regulation
The U.S. FDA has not approved henna for direct application to the skin. It is, however, grandfathered in as a hair dye and can only be imported for that purpose. Henna imported into the U.S. that appears to be for use as body art is subject to seizure, but prosecution is rare. Commercial henna products that are adulterated often claim to be 100% natural on product packaging in order to pass import regulations in other countries.

Varieties

Natural henna
Natural henna produces a rich red-brown stain which can darken in the days after it is first applied and last for several weeks. It is sometimes referred to as "red henna" to differentiate it from products sold as "black henna" or "neutral henna," which may not actually contain henna, but are instead made from other plants or dyes.

Neutral henna
Neutral henna does not change the color of hair. This is not henna powder; it is usually the powder of the plant Senna italica (often referred to by the synonym Cassia obovata) or closely related Cassia and Senna species.

Black henna
Black henna powder may be derived from indigo (from the plant Indigofera tinctoria). It may also contain unlisted dyes and chemicals such as para-phenylenediamine (PPD), which can stain skin black quickly, but can cause severe allergic reactions and permanent scarring if left on for more than 2–3 days. The FDA specifically forbids PPD to be used for this purpose, and may prosecute those who produce black henna. Artists who injure clients with black henna in the U.S. may be sued for damages.

The name arose from imports of plant-based hair dyes into the West in the late 19th century. Partly fermented, dried indigo was called black henna because it could be used in combination with henna to dye hair black. This gave rise to the belief that there was such a thing as black henna which could dye skin black. Indigo will not dye skin black. Pictures of indigenous people with black body art (either alkalized henna or from some other source) also fed the belief that there was such a thing as black henna.

para-phenylenediamine

In the 1990s, henna artists in Africa, India, Bali, the Arabian Peninsula and the West began to experiment with PPD-based black hair dye, applying it as a thick paste as they would apply henna, in an effort to find something that would quickly make jet-black temporary body art. PPD can cause severe allergic reactions, with blistering, intense itching, permanent scarring, and permanent chemical sensitivities. Estimates of allergic reactions range between 3% and 15%. Henna does not cause these injuries. Black henna made with PPD can cause lifelong sensitization to coal tar derivatives while black henna made with gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, paint thinner, and benzene has been linked to adult acute leukemia.

The most frequent serious health consequence of having a black henna temporary tattoo is sensitization to hair dye and related chemicals.  If a person has had a black henna tattoo and later dyes their hair with chemical hair dye, the allergic reaction may be life-threatening and require hospitalization. Because of the epidemic of PPD allergic reactions, chemical hair dye products now post warnings on the labels: "Temporary black henna tattoos may increase your risk of allergy.  Do not colour your hair if: ... – you have experienced a reaction to a temporary black henna tattoo in the past."

PPD is illegal for use on skin in western countries, though enforcement is difficult.  Physicians have urged governments to legislate against black henna because of the frequency and severity of injuries, especially to children. To assist the prosecution of vendors, government agencies encourage citizens to report injuries and illegal use of PPD black henna. When used in hair dye, the PPD amount must be below 6%, and application instructions warn that the dye must not touch the scalp and must be quickly rinsed away. Black henna pastes have PPD percentages from 10% to 80%, and are left on the skin for half an hour.

PPD black henna use is widespread, particularly in tourist areas. Because the blistering reaction appears 3 to 12 days after the application, most tourists have left and do not return to show how much damage the artist has done. This permits the artists to continue injuring others, unaware they are causing severe injuries. The high-profit margins of black henna and the demand for body art that emulates "tribal tattoos" further encourage artists to deny the dangers.

It is not difficult to recognize and avoid PPD black henna:
 if a paste stains skin on the torso black in less than ½ hour, it has PPD in it.
 if the paste is mixed with peroxide, or if peroxide is wiped over the design to bring out the color, it has PPD in it.

Anyone who has an itching and blistering reaction to a black body stain should go to a doctor, and report that they have had an application of PPD to their skin.

PPD sensitivity is lifelong. A person who has become sensitized through black henna tattoos may have future allergic reactions to perfumes, printer ink, chemical hair dyes, textile dye, photographic developer, sunscreen and some medications. A person who has had a black henna tattoo should consult their physician about the health consequences of PPD sensitization.

See also
 Achiote (urucum, annatto), another plant that stains skin orange red
 Genipapo, a plant that stains the skin blue black

References

Further reading

Body art
Hair coloring
Non-timber forest products
Plant dyes
Ancient Egypt
Red hair
Articles containing video clips
Anat


Benabena is a stretch of valley that extends to the east of Goroka town in the west and borders with the Upper Ramu area of the Madang Province to the north, the Ungaii District to its south and the Henganofi District to its east. The name "Bena Bena' derived from a small hamlet or village just a few kilometres away from the once small rural station of Sigerehi in the Upper Bena area in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
The Bena Bena Valley had once known for a centre for weaving. The town was known also as Bena Bena.

History
An airfield was constructed near the village by Dan Leahy and Jim Taylor in December 1932. A Lutheran mission station commenced operations at the village in 1934.

References
Benabena information

Populated places in Eastern Highlands Province


Philip John "P.J" Clapp  (born March 11, 1971), known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, entertainer, producer, and writer. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show Jackass, which aired for five seasons (including lost tapes) from 2000 to 2001. A year later, Knoxville and his co-stars returned for the first installment in the Jackass film series, with a second and third installment released in 2006 and 2010, respectively. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013), the first film in the series with a storyline, saw him star as his Jackass character Irving Zisman. Jackass Forever was released in 2022; it is said to be his final installment of the Jackass franchise.

Knoxville has had acting roles in films such as Men in Black II (2002), A Dirty Shame and Walking Tall (both 2004), The Dukes of Hazzard, The Ringer, and a cameo role as a sleazy corporate president of a skateboard company in Lords of Dogtown (all 2005), The Last Stand (2013), Skiptrace (2016), and the television series Reboot (2022). He also voiced Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).

Early life
Knoxville was born Philip John Clapp ("P.J.") in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Philip (19352018), was a tire and car salesman, and his mother, Lemoyne Clapp (née Houck; 19382017), taught Sunday school. He has two older sisters.

Knoxville credits a copy of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, given to him by his cousin, singer-songwriter Roger Alan Wade, with giving him the acting bug.

Knoxville attended South-Doyle High School in Knoxville. While in high school, he played on the baseball team where he was named All-Knoxville Interscholastic League Honorable Mention and played in the Knoxville Area All Star game as a pitcher. After graduating in 1989, he moved to California to become an actor. In the beginning, Knoxville appeared mostly in commercials and made several minor appearances as an extra.

When the "big break" he sought eluded him, he decided to create his own opportunities by writing and pitching article ideas to various magazines. An idea to test self-defense equipment on himself captured the interest of Jeff Tremaine's skateboarding magazine Big Brother, and the stunts were filmed and included in Big Brother "Number Two" video.

Career

Knoxville is responsible for many of the ideas in Jackass, and is often seen as the de facto leader of the crew. The show is directed by Jeff Tremaine, who produced a pilot that used footage from Big Brother and Bam Margera's CKY videos.

With help from Tremaine's friend, film director Spike Jonze, they pitched a series to various networks. A deal was made with MTV and Jackass was born.

Knoxville also participated in the Gumball 3000 for Jackass along with co-stars Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, and cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich. Prior to Jackass premiering on MTV, Knoxville and company turned down an offer to perform their stunts for Saturday Night Live on a weekly basis, though Knoxville later hosted a 2005 episode of the show.

Film and television roles

Knoxville has been in several feature films, most notably starring opposite Seann William Scott in Jay Chandrasekhar's adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard. He starred in Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 2.5, Jackass 3D (which marked the 10th anniversary of the franchise), Jackass 3.5, Jackass Forever, and Jackass 4.5. He played a two-headed alien in the 2002 film Men in Black II. Knoxville also worked with John Waters in A Dirty Shame in 2004, and appeared as a supporting character to The Rock in Walking Tall in the same year.

He starred in Katrina Holden Bronson's Daltry Calhoun in 2005, and in The Ringer as an office worker who pretends to be disabled and joins the Special Olympics to pay for surgery for his office's janitor. He starred in the movie Lords of Dogtown as Topper Burks, made a minor appearance in the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, and was featured as a guest voice on two episodes of King of the Hill.

Knoxville appeared in the John Madden-directed adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel, Killshot, however, his character was subsequently removed from the final cut of the film. He guest-starred in a season 3 episode "Prank Wars" on Viva La Bam, in which he and Ryan Dunn trashed Bam Margera's Hummer and performed other pranks. He voiced himself in an episode of Family Guy. He co-produced The Dudesons in America and the now-canceled Nitro Circus on MTV.

In 2010, Knoxville hosted a three-part online video for Palladium Boots titled Detroit Lives. The videos focus on the resurgence of creativity in Detroit. Knoxville guest-starred as the voice of Johnny Krill, an extreme sports enthusiast, in "Extreme Spots", a 2012 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. Knoxville voiced Leonardo in the 2014 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but did not appear in the sequel.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Production credits

Knoxville has a production company called Dickhouse Productions, which he owns and operates with Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze of the Jackass franchise. Dickhouse's projects include The Birth of Big Air (2010), a documentary about Mat Hoffman that was part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, and  The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2010), both of which have been picked up by Tribeca Films.

In May 2014, Knoxville (along with Jackass Executive Producer/H.M.F.I.C. Derek Freda) formally announced the formation of a new production company called 'Hello Junior', which will continue Knoxville's now-longstanding relationship with Paramount Pictures, who have signed an exclusive two-year first-look deal with Knoxville and 'Hello Junior' in the wake of the massive success of Bad Grandpa in late 2013.

Knoxville was quoted as saying, "I am over the damn moon about continuing an amazing partnership with Paramount Pictures," he said. "I have many more films to make and bones to break. I am glad I will be doing it for Paramount."

Professional wrestling
Knoxville, as with the Jackass crew, has been involved with the professional wrestling promotion WWE. On the October 13, 2008, episode of Raw, Knoxville made his WWE television debut feuding with The Great Khali. Knoxville later appeared as the guest star on the October 4, 2010, episode of Raw in Wichita, Kansas.

On January 1, 2022, at WWE's Day 1 pay-per-view, Knoxville announced he would be at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view as a participant in the event's signature namesake match. His entry was confirmed on the January 7 episode of SmackDown while simultaneously starting a feud with Sami Zayn. He entered the Royal Rumble at number 9 and was eliminated by Zayn. Knoxville then returned on the February 25 episode of SmackDown and challenged Zayn for the WWE Intercontinental Championship that the latter won the week prior, but Knoxville got rejected and was attacked by Zayn. The following week, Knoxville distracted Zayn during his match with Ricochet, allowing the latter to win the championship from him. Later that same night, Zayn challenged Knoxville to a match at WrestleMania 38 to which Knoxville accepted, and the match was stipulated as an Anything Goes match, wherein on Night 2 of that event, he won the match against Zayn with the help of Jackass members Chris Pontius, Wee Man, director Jeff Tremaine, and new members Jasper Dolphin and his father Compston "Dark Shark" Wilson.

Personal life
Knoxville married Melanie Lynn Cates on May 15, 1995. They have a daughter born on January 4, 1996. His daughter can be heard in the credits for Jackass Number Two, is seen in "The Making of Jackass Two" on the special features on the DVD, and was seen in the credits of Jackass 3D, punching Tremaine with a boxing glove. After eleven years of marriage, the couple separated in July 2006. Knoxville filed for divorce on July 3, 2007. The marriage legally ended in March 2008, with final divorce arrangements settled in July 2009.

On February 4, 2009, Knoxville explained on The Howard Stern Show how he tore his urethra during a stunt for Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel, describing how he had to flush it twice daily. He said this was done by "sticking a tube into his penis all the way up to his bladder", referring to the practice of urinary catheterization. Knoxville said the process prevented scar tissue from forming and performed the procedure "twice a day for three and a half years" after the injury.

On August 18, 2009, Knoxville announced that he and his girlfriend, Naomi Nelson, were expecting their first child. Nelson gave birth to a son that December in Los Angeles. Knoxville and Nelson married on September 24, 2010. Nelson gave birth to a daughter in October 2011, in Los Angeles. On June 17, 2022, it was reported that Knoxville had filed for divorce from his wife.

In December 2022, while filming The Prank Panel, Knoxville was sued by Khalil Khan, alleging that Khan was subjected to a "terrifying ordeal" after signing up for a handyman job on TaskRabbit in October.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

Video games

Music videos

Web series

References

External links

Official website
Official Jackass site

1971 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
American film producers
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male television actors
American male television writers
American male voice actors
American stunt performers
American television producers
American television writers
Film producers from Tennessee
Jackass (TV series)
Male actors from Tennessee
People from Knoxville, Tennessee
Screenwriters from Tennessee
Television producers from Tennessee
American people of German descent


Collier Hills is a residential neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia.  The area gets its name from the family whose homestead was broadly located in the southwest corner of the intersection of Peachtree St. and Collier Rd.  Andrew Jackson Collier, a member of this family and early pioneer of the area, operated an antebellum grist mill off Tanyard Creek, near Collier Rd.

References

Neighborhoods in Atlanta