An Interesting fact about Mehndi

Do you know, some facts about Mehndi? Mehndi is the most favorite shringar of all females and the most important part of the Indian wedding.

Do you know where the word derived? What is the history behind Mehndi? what belief associate with it?

In this blog, I will discuss the history of Mehndi, and some beliefs related to applying Henna and its color.

What’s in it

• History of henna/mehndi
• Belief associate with Mehndi
• There are some shapes and their signs
•  Ways to celebrate Mehndi function
• The significance of Applying Henna in Indian tradition
• Conclusion
• FAQ

History of Henna/Mehndi

The word Mehndi is derived from Sanskrit word, “Mehndhika” which means henna plant. It is in use even prior to the Vedic age.

We know henna as the temporary body art resulting from the staining of the skin from the dyes (Mehndi).

Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool, and leather.

Historically, henna was used in the Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent, Near and the Middle East, Carthage, other parts of North Africa and the Horn of Africa.

source: Wikipedia.

Mehndi has an old history. It has been using from the old occasions, nearly 5000 years back. History revealed to we presented us that Mehndi in India by Mughal domains.

We get henna word from the Latin, Arabic name which is articulated as “Henna”. It is a powder of dry leaves of a plant of henna. We use Henna for body part decoration. We use it for body art.

Henna has a natural cooling property, in ancient times people use henna to control their body temperature. They make the paste from henna leaves and apply it on their hand and feet. They feel a cool sensation in the entire body. Henna stains fade away. There is some pattern left.

In bygone eras, a jug with a tip of metal that was used to paint silk was used to apply henna. It is said that on the off chance that you need increasingly lovely and solid shading, at that point you should wrap the henna zone with any plastic spread or tissue paper.

Belief associate with Mehndi

Henna has great significance in India and many neighboring countries. We use it mostly on hands and feet on marriage and many other occasions for centuries.

Why we use henna for marriage/wedding? Is there any belief behind that? And the answer is Application of henna on brides is the oldest tradition.

The reason is that bride has to do “solah sringar”. And henna is one of them that beautify the bride.

Often the question asked that Henna”s color come out dark?

There are many myths about these.

The first belief that if the color comes out dark, she will get immense love from her husband or love will deeper between the couple. The rich color is a symbol of good luck.

The second myth is that the more dark the color is on the hand of the bride, the more understanding and love will be there between the bride and mother-in-law. It believed that darken the color of Henna the bride gets, her mother-in-law loves her very much.

The third belief is People consider Mehndi as a symbol of fertility as we use it in wedding ceremonies

Do you know scientific reason behind applying henna?

There is another belief, henna is a medicinal herb and helps calm the nerves of the bride. It provides distressing therapy which needed to remove wedding stress.

Henna contains a highly antiseptic agent; Mehndi can protect the couple from viral disease. Such diseases are undesirable just before marriage and this medicinal herb can lend a strong shield. It improves blood circulation in the body and enhances general health.

Do you know, why the bride write the groom’s name in her Mehndi?

Here we share that secret with you.

There was a trend of arranging marriages in the back days, so the bride and groom did not meet or see each other before marriage. So On the wedding night, the first-time bride and groom meet each other.

The groom’s name used to be written in the bride’s Mehndi as an ice-breaker to start the conversation when the groom would be asked to find his name in her hand.

If he cannot find his name in the hand, she is supposed to get a gift from him, an idea which excites every bride.

But these days are different as the bride and groom tend to know each other very well but this tradition continues and scatter the groom’s name in the bride’s Mehndi.

In some cultures, the bride’s Mehndi comes from the groom’s house, or they have a ceremony where they will apply it to the bride to be and dress her up with clothes and jewelry.

There is a saying in hind, “Hamare rang me rang Jana’ it means we want you to get colored in our colors. Applying their henna on the bride is away and accepting her as their own.

There are some shapes and their signs

in Indian culture, they symbolize Peacock as beauty

they symbolized Flower and petals for joy and happiness

There is no proof about these beliefs, But, these beliefs make the Mehndi ceremony a much expected and charming

Way to celebrate Mehndi Function

Over, the century we know Indian marriages for their many rituals. In fact, the beauty of Indian weddings comes from the many traditions that are associated with a special celebration. Traditional Indian marriages are incomplete without dance, music, and lots of laughter.

Furthermore, Indian weddings are not a one-day ceremony. But Pre-wedding ceremonies begin before the wedding and can sometimes be a week-long celebration. Today the Mehndi ceremony is one of the major celebrations before the wedding.

Mehndi ceremony is one of the pre-wedding ceremonies that mostly everyone celebrates it two days before the wedding.

it is one of the most important occasions for both the families of brides and groom, a very much reason to have lots of fun combined with DJ, music, dance and delicious food.

Among the many traditions that are infused into Indian weddings, one of the most prominent is the bridal Mehndi ceremony. On this day, we apply henna on the hands and feet of the bride and even the groom.

The bride has a very elaborate pattern done on her hands and feet, but the groom usually has just a token design. want to know about unique types of Mehndi design? just check it

 Different families and different cultures have different customs.

Everyone celebrates it in their own ways and customers, but the ultimate motive is to have fun and enjoyment unlimited! Mostly, we prefer to arrange function at night but few families celebrate it in the afternoon too.

How Indian celebrate Mehndi function

We Indians celebrate Mehndi ceremony in a grand way. We organize the grand party to celebrate the occasion. Sometimes it clubbed with DJ night/sangeet night. Traditional Dhol is played, DJ”s are arranged, music and feast are also imperative now along with the dance performances of relatives. The bride and groom also perform in sangeet function.

A family member, henna artist, or expert applies it on the palms and feet of the bride. They apply beautiful designs on their hands with a cone.

While we apply the Mehndi, other members of the family play the traditional dhol and dance to its beats. We apply henna to every female member of the family. We can use it on hands and feet. The entire mood of a ceremony is festive.

Mehndi is a very important part of both Hindu and Muslim weddings in India. In fact, To apply Mehndi designs is a custom during any celebration in India, We use it on many events like engagement, Karva Chauth, Teej, Diwali, Baby shower/god bharai, Ramadan, or any other festival.

The significance of Applying Mehndi in Indian tradition

We apply Henna during Indian weddings We do not use only a plain paste of powder and water. But we use Eucalyptus oil too. We add a bit of clove oil and a few drops of lemon in it.

These oils help in darkening the color of it on the body. It enhances the benefits and makes the paste highly medicinal. The best part is that the smell, the beautiful rich color.

How Islamic celebrate Mehndi party

There is an Islamic belief about Mehndi and its application. It is a very significant part of Islamic weddings. They organize a ceremony called “Mehndi Rasam” before a couple of days the Nikah ceremony. They celebrate the ceremony with a lot of pomp and honor.

Conclusion

Mehndi not only leaves beautiful rich color but also leaves a beautiful smell, which remains for days and helps boost the romance between the couple in the initial days of the wedding.

Frequently asked question