Beautiful mehndi

I have always loved mehndi - as a kid one of my friends had a huge party thrown for her and she had henna on her hands and feet before the celebration. I was so envious of the intricate designs that crept all up her forearms, but I think she was embarassed because she was different than her schoolmates for several weeks. Kids!

There are many superstitions regarding mehndi during a wedding. It is said that when a bride has mehndi done for her wedding, the darker the design, the more her mother-in-law loves her.


Photo credit: Ann Torrence

A good deeply-colored design is a sign of good luck for the marital couple. It is common for the names of the bride and groom to be hidden in the mehndi design; and the wedding night cannot commence until the groom has found the names. A bride is not expected to perform any housework until her wedding mehndi has faded. [ha!]


-Kay