sons for women to wear mehndi designs and

Mehendi or henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a small tropical shrub. Its leaves and shoots, when ground into a paste, give out a rust-coloured pigment. This is used as a hairdye and as a cosmetic to make intricate designs on the palms and feet. Apart from its colour, henna also has a pleasing fragrance and a cooling effect.
Heena`s auspicious reddish colour merits its use during all ceremonies related to marriage and married women. It denotes the prosperity that a bride is expected to bring to her new house and is a part of the 16 traditional adornments, with a special ceremony of its own, simply called Mehendi. A day before the wedding, all the friends and relatives of the bride gather together, and the dark green paste of henna leaves is applied in decorative designs to the bride`s palms and feet. The paste can be made by grinding fresh leaves, or by powdering dried leaves and then mixing the powder with water. A professional is usually called upon, for the process is almost an art form. The henna paste is squeezed through the tip of a cone and by systematically moving the cone, the designs are “drawn”.
After this, the paste must be allowed to dry until it becomes hard and crusted. This takes three to four hours. During this time, the bride must sit still. She gets some much-needed rest and listens to the advice of friends and relatives who are also participating in this ceremony. Because of its cooling effect, henna also calms the bride`s nerves.
fter it dries, it is washed off or scraped off with the help of a blunt knife, leaving a dark rust imprint which stays for aboMehendi or henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a small tropical shrub. Its leaves and shoots, when ground into a paste, give out a rust-coloured pigment. This is used as a hairdye and as a cosmetic to make intricate designs on the palms and feet. Apart from its colour, henna also has a pleasing fragrance and a cooling effect.
Heena`s auspicious reddish colour merits its use during all ceremonies related to marriage and married women. It denotes the prosperity that a bride is expected to bring to her new house and is a part of the 16 traditional adornments, with a special ceremony of its own, simply called Mehendi. A day before the wedding, all the friends and relatives of the bride gather together, and the dark green paste of henna leaves is applied in decorative designs to the bride`s palms and feet. The paste can be made by grinding fresh leaves, or by powdering dried leaves and then mixing the powder with water. A professional is usually called upon, for the process is almost an art form. The henna paste is squeezed through the tip of a cone and by systematically moving the cone, the designs are “drawn”.
After this, the paste must be allowed to dry until it becomes hard and crusted. This takes three to four hours. During this time, the bride must sit still. She gets some much-needed rest and listens to the advice of friends and relatives who are also participating in this ceremony. Because of its cooling effect, henna also calms the bride`s nerves.
fter it dries, it is washed off or scraped off with the help of a blunt knife, leaving a dark rust imprint which stays for about a week. After the wedding, the bride is not expected to do anut a week. After the wedding, the bride is not expected to do an