Rihanna has her famous ’’shhh’’ tattoo on her finger. Angelina Jolie has a Khmer tattoo on her shoulder. You might have something else. No matter if you are rich or poor; American, Australian or African; male or female – tattoos represent a very popular trend that, in most cases, has a deeper, hidden meaning.
Even though tattoo styles come and go, the basic idea of marking your skin forever has been present since many, many centuries ago, and in each culture it represents something else. Take a quick look at how and why people get inked around the world:
The Egyptian Culture
There’s a high possibility that you have seen an Egyptian symbol on somebody’s skin as these have been quite popular since the beginning of the XXI century. The new millennium started the trend of tattooing the Ankh symbol on the skin, and along with that, many other popular Egyptian motives.
The Egyptian symbols always stood for omni-popular concepts such as death and life, man and woman, or dark and light. Some of the most prominent Egyptian symbols that get inked are the already mentioned Ankh, which symbolises rebirth and eternal life; the Eye of Ra, which is based on the eye of the Egyptian god of the Sun – Horus; or the Scarab, the insect that symbolises rebirth and creation.
The Thai Culture
Tattooing and the Thai culture go hand in hand. What’s interesting about getting tattooed in Thailand? A monk does it! Once every year, thousands of people wait in front of the Wat Bang Phra temple so that a monk could ink their skin. Thai people believe this will keep evil away and wash away their sins.
However, this ’’project’’ can be extremely painful, as the monks do not tattoo people using a regular tattooing gun, but rather a bamboo stick – so they have to be very careful as to know exactly with what pressure they should induce the ink into the skin. Once you get tattooed by a monk (they are most commonly Buddhist scriptures), you are not allowed to blame your parents anymore for anything in your life, and you must not cheat on your husband or wife with somebody else’s partner.
The Japanese Culture
The Japanese tattooing culture is also one that has been present for many centuries. Even though the Japanese government forbade excessive tattoos in the 19th century (and it’s still very difficult to get a job in Japan if your skin is inked a lot), they are still regarded as pieces of art.
Japanese, much as Chinese tattoos, mostly consist of their writing symbols, and are very popular not only in Japan, but in other parts of the world as well, especially in Australia. Mind the fact that many artists tattoo the wrong symbol on the skin of the customer, so if you want one, make sure you choose the place with the best Japanese tattoos in Sydney. This is the home of some renowned tattoo artists such as Deepak Munsami, Loic Bardot and others, who have been rewarded multiple times.
The Indian Culture
The oldest human tattoo art however, is the one from India. Even though the original occasion on which people would get tattooed were weddings, people tend to ink themselves with Indian Henna tattoos more and more nowadays. They celebrate the unity of men and women, and it is believed that no marriage is complete without the Henna tattoo on the hands of a woman.
Although actual Henna tattoos last only for a couple of weeks, there are many instances of people who got Henna on the palms of their hands forever. Another popular Indian tattoo trend is getting any word in Sanskrit (the standard written language in India), but the trick with this is that it has to be on the upper part of your body since that shows respect.
Many people tend to put a symbol on their skin after a significant change in their life, whether a positive one such as the birth of a baby, or a negative one such as the death of a loved one or a bad break up. Be this as it may, mind that deciding on a tattoo is not a simple choice, so make sure you decide to ink yourself with a clear mind.
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