•Henna shows up differently on every part of the body, achieving a lovely wild cherry or mahogany colour on the soles of the feet and a lighter colour on the upper arm or shoulder
•In South Asian weddings the ‘Mehndi Night’ is an important pre-wedding function, attended by all the women relations and friends of the bride. Men are not generally part of this event. In many cultures the groom’s family sends the henna (specially prepared and beautifully wrapped) to the bride before the wedding
•It is believed that the deeper the colour of the mehndi on the bride’s hands, the stronger the love between husband and wife. Some believe that a dark colour means that she’ll be much loved by her mother-in-law, while others say, that it is an auspicious omen indicating being loved by the new family
•Bridal motifs include symbols of love, fertility, loyalty, prosperity and good luck
•Romantic brides embed their husband’s initials in an intricate design, which he has to find on the wedding night
•During the HinThe Mehndi ceremony is held at the home of the bride on the eve of the wedding ceremony or a couple of days before it. The female relatives of the girl anoint her with turmeric paste to bring out the glow in her complexion. A relative or a Mehndiwali applies Mehndi on the hands and feet of the bride. The event has a festive feel to it with the women singing traditional songs. The bride wears sober clothes. According to custom she must not step out of the house for the next few days until her marriage. The bride's cousins sometimes apply a dot of Mehndi on the palm of the groom.
Wedding Rituals
du festival of ‘karva chauth’ each year, married women apply henna
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