What Makes Mehndi So Important In Indian Marriages

by Rohit Bansal Blogger

It is considered that the bride wearing some great mehndi patterns on her hands and feet will bring in a lot of happiness and prosperity in her in-law's house. People often hire a mehndi artist to get the best of the designs that reflect their personality, the love for their partner and what they hope for in the future. Each pattern in the mehndi designs has a unique meaning behind it. There are various patterns, some intricate and elaborate while others which are much simpler.

The mehndi ceremony is one of the most important ceremonies in Indian Hindu weddings. All the females in the house gather together to celebrate and get those beautiful mehndi pattern stains on their hands. The ceremony includes some traditional songs sung by the elder women and is sometimes conjoined by the sangeet ceremony which makes it all the more grander affair.

Historical Background

The word ‘Mehndi’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Mendhikā’ which is the name for the henna plant itself. Mehndi has been a part of the Indian culture for more than 3000 years now. Many works of literature from the Vedic times depict that the mehndi was used to cure cold and fever. The beautiful Greek princess, named Cleopatra, used to paint her body with henna. This makes mehndi the oldest form of body art that has been into existence for thousands of years and even now.

Present Trends In Mehndi Designs

Over time with the evolution of mehndi design patterns, the designs have become more intricate and modern adding to the stature of the mehndi ceremony. Up until a few years back only the Indian mehndi patterns and motifs were considered for the mehndi designs for the bride. But now the brides have also started to consider including the Arabic design patterns in their mehndi as well. The fusion of Indian and Arabic mehndi patterns also look really great and bring together the two entirely different cultures into one design. According to one of the best mehndi artist in Pune, the latest trend that got introduced and became an instant hit was to sport the shimmery mehndi designs along with precious stones that are embedded in the designs.

Mehndi As A Stress Reliever

The mehndi ceremony usually takes place a day or two prior to the day of the wedding. On this day not only the brides but also the grooms sport beautiful mehndi patterns on their hands. Mehndi is a great stress reliever and it is believed that applying mehndi to the hands and feet will help destress the bride and the groom who would have been really busy planning for everything to make their wedding perfect.

How Mehndi Designs Evolved Over The Years?

Mehndi is really famous in India as well as the neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. There are various Arab countries as well where mehndi is quite popular. Mehndi designs have come a great way from the old traditional ones and are now quite modern. Mehndi being a natural dye is great for people who want to have temporary tattoos. This made mehndi really popular in many western countries and can now be found in every corner of the world.

Significance Of Mehndi In Weddings

Mehndi is one of the ‘Solah Shringaar’(Sixteen Embellishments) that are absolutely necessary for an Indian bride. Mehndi is considered a ‘shagun’ and is a representation of love and affection that you share with your partner. When it comes to Indian weddings and the mehndi for the bride and the groom’s hands and feet, there are various beliefs that are associated with it. When it comes to beliefs even the colour of the mehndi stain matters a lot. It is widely believed that the darker the mehndi stain the more the love and understanding will be there between the couple. Mehndi is also a symbolic representation of fertility.

Ritual Related To Mehndi Patterns

There is also a ritual related to the mehndi that the bride and groom have to hide each other’s names in the mehndi patterns and they have to find their names. The names included in the patterns are written in a manner that they are not readily visible and takes a good amount of time to search.

The beautiful patterns of mehndi will look great when worn by the brides on the day of their marriage. The mehndi ceremony adds to the wedding celebrations and has a cultural significance attached to it. You can choose from different patterns like florals, paisleys, jalis, hearts and many others.

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Created on Jul 24th 2019 07:20. Viewed 569 times.

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