Damanhurian face painting

Damanhur is a young Popolo (people) with only 42 years of history, but we have big dreams overflowing from all of our drawers! When we had a spark of awareness that we wanted to be and become a Popolo – a true Popolo with our own art, culture and tradition – we were overwhelmed by the greatness of that dream. It was a big challenge, starting from scratch in identifying the style to represent our values ​​in all of our paintings, sculptures, music, theatre, clothing, etc.

Now some time has passed, and we are still involved in the elaboration of the canons that distinguish our lives on many levels, yet we have taken so many steps forward. Each step that we have taken is a small achievement that adds up to a big leap forward, like when we invented the way we paint our faces at parties and celebrations.

This particular way of face decoration came forth for the first time in 1984. It is characterized by using predominantly white with some details in bright colors to represent the different colors contained in each one of us. The paintings are similar for men and women, with the significance that there are both masculine and feminine principles present in each one of us, and that in our spiritual research, we are moving toward the recomposition of the original spiritually androgynous nature of human beings.

Damanhurian face painting uses the archetypal symbols of the Sacred Language. The painting, in addition to fulfilling an aesthetic function, also carries the meanings of words that compose a phrase.

If you want to exalt your creative characteristics, for example, you might choose the phrase, “May imagination inspire my dreams.” If you are looking for inspiration, it might be more appropriate to write, “May spiritual light guides my choices.”

In Damanhur, playfulness always blends with a deeper significance. During traditional celebrations, you can admire these paintings on people’s faces and ask them what they mean!