Henna, also known as mehndi, holds great importance in the Indian culture. Mehendi is considered to be the oldest form of body art and dates back to the time prior to the vedic age. Festivities in an Indian marriage begin with mehendi ceremony. The bride to be and all the ladies adorn their hands with beautiful and embellishing designs on their palm and feet.
Apart from being a fun pre-wedding ritual, mehendi also has a deep-rooted cultural importance to it and plays an important part in a girl’s life. It is an integral part of an Indian bride’s identity. It insinuates beautification and represents the divine bond of matrimony which is considered as a sign of good luck. It also signifies the love and affection between the couple and their families.the color of mehendi also represents the understanding and affection between a bride and her mother-in-law.
There’s nothing strictly sacred or spiritual about it, but applying Mehendi is considered beneficial and lucky, and always regarded as beautiful and blessed. That is perhaps why Indian women are so fond of it. Deemed to be a symbolic representation of fertility mehendi is also known for it’s medicinal properties. The herb present in henna is good for the growth of nails and has a cooling effect that aids in soothing stress, headaches and fever. So, mehendi is applied to relieve the bride and the groom of all the wedding stress and even safeguards the couple from any of the viral diseases before the wedding.
Besides the wedding celebrations mehendi is also worn on many festivals like karva chauth, Raksha bandhan, teej, Diwali etc. Ladies have been fascinated with various henna styles and designs for generations now. Occasions and events are just excuses for ladies to celebrate and apply mehndi.
