October

Mehndi has been around for centuries and has crossed all barriers of caste, religion and distance. It is considered a celebration of women, hope, transition, growth, spirituality, good fortune, adornment and above all, pure beauty. Mehndi, the hindi word for Henna, is made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant, and has been used traditionally to color the skin as long as five thousand years ago.

In India, North Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, henna is seen as a blessing with the power to bring the wearer happiness and wealth. Most Mehndi designs are linked to religious beliefs and practices. This temporary body art leaves a deep red to dark burgundy stain on the wearer’s skin, the designs sharing a story of tradition, auspiciousness and beauty.

Mehndi is traditionally used for special occasions like holidays, for celebrating pregnancies and weddings in Africa, Pakistan, India, and the Middle East.  The most popular of the traditions is the Mehndi (henna) Night where the bride, her family, relatives and friends get together to celebrate the wedding festivities to come.  The night is filled with games, music and dance performances that may have been rehearsed for months prior to the event by those closest to the bride while the bride gets extensive henna patterns done on her hands and feet that go to her elbows and sometimes, knees.  The bridal patterns can take hours and are often done by multiple henna artists.  The guests will usually receive small designs (tattoos) on the backs of their hands as well.

Tradition holds that for as long as the Mehndi stain appears on the bride, she doesn't have to do any housework!  Also, the darker the stain the better the marriage and the the more loved by the husband and the mother in law she will be!  So you can imagine why the bride would want the stain to come our dark and last as long as possible!

Excerpt from the book The Art Of Mehndi - by Sumita Batra