Mehndi MadnessTM Blog
KrysteenThis article comes to us from Bruce Smith - www.dispatchnews.com
Three Cups of Tea, the widely acclaimed true account of Greg Mortenson, a Himalayan mountaineer who gave up his ropes and carabiners to build 58 schools for girls in the highlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan, is being celebrated in Graham over the next several months. The book has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 83 weeks.
Festivities started last Saturday with Mehndi, the art of henna tattooing. Led by artist Krysteen Lomonaco, she offered her Mehndi Madness workshop to a roomful of adults, teens, families and kids, who learned the history of henna, a plant that grows only in the arid stretches of Egypt, Arabia and India. Henna also possesses the inexplicable ability to cool down the body, and can render remarkable natural tattoos that can last for a month.
In the Middle East and Central Asia, Mehndi tattoos are used extensively for decorative purposes, especially in sacred ceremonies, such as a bride on her wedding day, or upon a woman's belly during a pregnancy.
Other celebrations of Three Cups of Tea are a book discussion on Tuesday, February 2 at 7 pm, a spinning and weaving workshop on Sunday, February 22nd, and a slide show “Climbing the Himalayas,” presented by Mortenson's climbing partner, Dan Mazur, on Tuesday, March 3rd,
Additional workshops and presentations are being held at other Pierce County libraries, such as several appearances by Mortenson's co-author David Oliver Relin, a telling of Islamic folktales by internationally-acclaimed storyteller Cathy Spagnoli (South Hill, Sunday, Feb 22, 2 pm), and tea ceremonies with Graham's own Tea Madam, LaDonna Olmstead.
For more information, (253) 536-6500, or www.piercecountylibrary.org.
