Today there is no person who does not know what a hookah is. The secret of hookah's success is that it is beautiful and exotic. The history of hookah is interesting and entertaining. Smoking hookah is harmless and enjoyable. Increasingly, it is chosen as a gift or a souvenir, because it can serve as an interior decoration, become an individual favorite of its owner and give a pleasant pastime to the company.
Origin and history of hookah
No one can say exactly where and when the hookah appeared. There is enough evidence and written references to hookah smoking in ancient manuscripts. The history of the hookah in the world has been divided into several versions, and each one is sufficiently reasoned. We will briefly consider them.
Indian version
The most common version is that the hookah and the tradition of smoking it originated in India. Hindus used this device for medicinal and meditative purposes. In medical practice, the filler - hashish and various herbs - actedas an anesthetic. Traditions of meditation while smoking a hookah also provided hashish filler.
Externally, the ancient Indian hookah consisted of the coconut shell of the Narghile palm tree. Hence one of the names of the hookah - nargile. The pulp was removed, two holes were made. In the middle was placed hashish and resin, which ensured the combustion process. A bamboo stick was inserted into one of the holes.
And today in the markets of India you can buy hookahs with bowls of coconuts.
From India, the hookah with its traditions spread to the regions of the Middle East and Egypt. The history of the hookah in Eastern countries continued, it improved and acquired new features.
US version
The second, rather interesting version is connected with the Aztecs and the Maya. Some researchers attribute the appearance of the smoking device, which became the prototype of the hookah, to the peace pipe of the American tribes and claim that they began to use the gourd to pass the smoldering smoke. There is a fairly weighty opinion in scientific circles that the history of hookah, tobacco and its smoking came to India and Africa long before the discovery of the American continent by Europeans.
Hookah smoking in Russia
To my great pleasure, our country is not fighting for the championship in the invention of the hookah. The history of hookah in Russia begins in the 90s of the last century, when mass tourist visits by our fellow citizens to the countries of the Middle East, Turkey and Egypt began.
Of course, and before that the Arabs and Syrians thatcame to the USSR to study, brought hookahs with them. The proof that it was the Iranians and Pakistanis who introduced the Russians to this device is the name itself. The word "galyan" means "boiling" and sounds like a hookah. By the way, this device is called so only by residents of the countries of the former USSR. In Egypt, it will be called nargile, Arabs - shisha, and Hindus - nargile.
What you need to know about the device
History of hookah, smoking rules have changed, but the form has remained the same. A modern hookah is a device that is as versatile and compact as possible. Consists of three main parts:
- flask with liquid;
- top including saucers, shafts and bowls;
- hose and mouthpiece.
The materials used to make hookahs are different and varied. Usually made of copper, there are gold and even author's original ones made of clay.
Another main ingredient is macerated tobacco. It is called maasel, contains few components, glycerin and various additives.
You can't do without special coal - chemical or natural.
The flask connects all the components of the hookah and can be filled with water, alcohol, milk or juice.
Harm or benefit?
You need to start with the fact that a hookah, a pipe or a cigarette is absolutely not important. The history of the hookah, when the filler was hashish in the past, but tobacco has taken root well in this tradition. When smoking mixtures containing nicotine, a person developsphysical and psychological dependence. Physiologically, this is the “nicotine hunger” of a smoker, when the body gets used to a certain level of nicotine in the blood and requires its replenishment. We will not write about the psychology of addiction - everyone already knows this.
In addition to nicotine, any tobacco contains various resins that settle in the pulmonary glomeruli and blood vessels. They cause atherosclerosis and act as carcinogenic agents that can provoke cancer.
Compared to smoking cigarettes or cigars, hookah causes the smoker to increase his “craving”. Accordingly, the smoke penetrates deeper into the lungs and is more likely to harm.
Although the specific device of the hookah with the passage of smoke through the aquatic environment reduces the amount of tar in the inhaled air. In addition, the smoke becomes moist and not hot - it does not irritate the respiratory tract so much. It is these facts that give hookah lovers a reason to claim that it is not as harmful as smoking cigarettes.
Smoking hookah in public places is fraught with infection with a huge number of diseases transmitted by airborne droplets. And this is from herpes to hepatitis. Sterility of all parts of the hookah is difficult, if not impossible. And a sterile disposable mouthpiece is no guarantee of safety.
For a Russian feast, a hookah is an accompanying entertainment. If hookah smoking is accompanied by the intake of alcoholic beverages, then there can be no talk of any benefit or safety.maybe.
Passive smokers can make sure from their own experience that smoking a hookah does not change the smoke in the room. This means that passive smoking in this case is just as harmful as with other types of tobacco burning.
It is believed that an hour of hookah smoking is equal to one cigarette smoked. If so, then the hookah is certainly not so harmful.
It is believed that hookah tobacco is not so harmful. In fact, all tobacco contains nicotine. Therefore, if you smoke a mixture that does not contain tobacco, then it is really not harmful to smoke. And here it doesn’t matter if a hookah is used or something else. It's just that the ceremony of smoking a hookah in this case is more attractive and fascinating, like the history of the hookah itself.
And interesting facts
Hookah lovers and fans consider it inadmissible to light cigarettes from the coal of a working hookah. This disrupts the rhythm of coal burning.
So, fruit hookahs popular in Russia are an invention of Europeans. In Muslim countries, they smoke hookah “on the bowl”, and fruit ones are only for Russian tourists.
The fashion industry has not lost sight of the new European craze. Brands have appeared with futuristic bowl shapes and offering various gadgets and devices for hookahs (universal strainers, original valves and mouthpieces, diffusers to reduce noise levels and much more).
And most recently, Swedish designers have proposed a novelty hookah Desvall, worth 60 thousand dollars. Of course, it is made of the finest materials and encrustedprecious stones. But the main amount will be spent by the buyer for the chic and brand.
To smoke or not to smoke?
Each individual makes this decision independently. If smoking a hookah for a smoker is a ritual and a sacrament, with long preparation and its own traditions, this is one thing. If the unusualness is lost and the ritual has become a banal habit, this is different.
The main thing to remember is that in everything you need to know the measure and be guided only by your feelings.
