Mehndi is the traditional wedding occasion of Pakistani weddings, and wedding supposed to be incomplete without
Mehndi on feets and hands of bride. Mehndi patterns are designed on both front and back of the hands right up elbow , and on the bottom half of the legs. The patterns of mehndi are typically quite intricate and predominantly applied to brides before wedding ceremonies. The Mehndi night is something like a hen night in the West, with all the bride's female friends and relatives getting together to celebrate. They spend the evening singing traditional Mehndi songs, like "Mehndi hai rachnai wali" "Mehndi laga ke rakhna ", "Mehndi ki raat" .. which tell of he good luck and blessings that Mehndi will bring, and of its significance with different in-laws.
About Henna / Mehndi made from
Henna is a dye produced from a tree law Sonia interims whose leaves when dried and mixed with boiling water, stain the skin with a mahogany color. The leaves of the tree are gathered green and are placed in the shade to dry gradually. The leaves are then pounded and sieved to obtain a very fine powder.
The compound is kneaded to make a paste that is neither fluid nor thick (toothpaste consistency). The henna is then covered and left to rest overnight. Henna designing is a form of body art which has originated from Middle East and India.
Traditionally henna leaves were dried, crushed finely sieved in a fine cloth, made into paste and applied with the help of stick. Now days, henna powder is easily available in a package form. Plastic cones have been devised for easy application. The cone has a fine opening at the thin end which lets a thin flow of paste to facilitate intricate designing. Pre filled henna cones are now available for ready use. Henna designing has become very popular all over the world as a form of temporary tattoos and is like by one and all. One of the main advantages of this form of art is that the designing gradually fade from the body over a period of two to three weeks. Henna is indeed a beautiful and painless alternative of tattoos.
