In India, you can easily point out someone who has just gotten married or perhaps attended a close relative or friend’s wedding just by looking at their hands! Why? Their hands are sure to sport bright red, intricate designs known as Mehendi decoration. In Indian weddings, it is the Mehendi ceremony which truly kicks off the entire affair. It is celebrated on the bride-to-be’s side. Henna paste is applied to her hands and feet, usually by a special Mehendi artist. Once the paste is dry it falls out, and beautiful designs emerge!
Mehendi paste is made by grinding the Henna plant and mixing hot water, tea, cloves, coffee, tamarind, sugar, and lemon to strengthen the color and potency of the paste. It is then applied by someone who is known to be happily married!
The Mehendi decoration ritual is incredibly significant in Indian culture. It signifies passion, love, devotion, and fertility between the soon to be married couple. In fact, it is believed that the longer it takes for the Mehendi designs to fade, the luckier the bride is, as she will be deeply loved by her husband. After the wedding, the bride is traditionally not required to perform any household chores until her Mehendi has completely gone. The Mehendi ceremony is a happy affair with much singing and dancing by the women. It is usually celebrated a few days before the actual wedding ceremony.
The Mehendi decoration tradition originated in the Indian subcontinent and has been mentioned in the ancient epics. It is thus a significant millennia-old tradition which has continued unbroken to this day. In fact, the use of Mehendi decoration is not limited to just weddings – Mehendi may also be applied for other festivals such as Rakhi, Holi, Diwali, Teej, Gangaur and Karva Chauth.
Today, Mehendi is used extensively in ceremonies in many countries apart from India – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Arab countries, North African countries, Persia and Malaysia.
