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Tattoos go all the way back to thousands of years when the Egyptians tattooed themselves as decoration in the days of the pyramids. The Chinese took to tattoos in 2,000 B.C. It has since been found that all major cultures have, at some point, used tattoos to make permanent marks on the skin.
Why tattoo: Ancient societies used tattoos as ways of identifying bands of people just as family crests did. Other societies marked criminals and outcasts with tattoos so that others could be wary of them.
In China, offenders and criminals were marked with three lines on their foreheads, to marl the character for “dog” after the third offence. A syndicate of organized crime in Japan, the Yakuza, always used tattoos to identify its members and to prove their commitment just as street gangs in America did with tattoos on their neck or hands.
The first tattoo machine was discovered during the Victorian era and patented too. When explorers of the Victorian age encountered members of primitive cultures that practiced tattooing, they were sent back to Europe for exhibitions. Later, when religious missionaries encountered tattooing, they discouraged this ancient art form and by the 20th century, most of this art form disappeared, especially in the South Pacific island cultures.
According to recorded history, the first time the word “tattoo” was used, it was seen as an entry in the diary of British sea Captain James Cook in 1796. It is derived from Polynesian/Samoan root word “tatu,” or “to strike.
In modern times, there was a resurgence in this art in the 1960s and now this art form is worn with pride by people who have no attachment to the symbolic histories of these motifs.
Body painting: This is a form of body art, but unlike tattooing, it is contemporary and painted on the human skin and lasts for a few hours or as in the case of mehendi or henna tattoo, just a few weeks.
In ancient cultures, body painting was done with clay and other natural paints and was specially worn for ceremonies, as some tribes of Australia, the Pacific islands and parts of Africa still do.
Body painting, also known as mehendi, comprises dyes made of henna and is uses as bridal decoration in India and the Middle East. In the past, actors and clowns used to paint their faces.
Body painting underwent a revival in the 1960s in the West and since then, there have been important variations of body painting. These days, this is popular among children too that are suitable for all ages. In recent years face painting has become very popular among children at parties and festivals throughout the Western world. Also, since the late 1990s, Mehndi has become popular amongst young women in the Western world.
Modern Body Painting: These days, body painting is done for football matches and at parties. They are done according to strict guidelines according to which they use non-toxic and non-allergenic substances that can easily be washed away. They can be applied by hand, paint brush, and natural sea sponge, or with an airbrush. Mehendi is applied by hand.
Body paint should only be used if the skin does not throw up a reaction. If you have some kind of allergy, see a doctor immediately.