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Mehndi-old wine in new bottle
The wedding season is here! The big fat Indian weddings which are characteristically so noisy and colorful family get-togethers, which definitely wouldn't be complete without certain affairs like the exuberant religious ceremonies, the savory feast for the guests, and of course, the beautiful mehndi designs adorning the hands and feet of the bride and her friends.
The art of mehndi has been a long-standing tradition with its roots from many ancient cultures dating back as far as about 5,000 years. Today, it is still used not only in religious and ritualistic ceremonies in India, but has also reinvented itself as a modern fashion accessory. So, what exactly is mehndi?
The term refers to the powder and paste, the design on the skin, as well as the ceremony. It originated in Egypt and in Middle Eastern countries during ancient times. Henna powder is derived from a plant. The bush is harvested, dried, and then crushed to make henna powder. Henna itself is used for many things such as hair treatment, heat rash relief, and skin conditioner to name a few. Henna paste is what is used to apply mehndi or the designs. This beautiful body art then slowly spread to India and other hot climate area like Malaysia, Persia, Syria, Morocco, Sudan and North Africa but is most known today for its history in India.
Henna powder itself is green in color, but the stain it leaves behind is usually an orange-red color. It's safe and painless since it does not require the skin to be pierced. It's completely natural and non-toxic. It produces nil to low amount of allergic reactions. Though many suppliers now offer henna in a variety of colors, henna is best in its unadulterated form. It’s exciting, exotic, beautiful, and as simple or complicated as one may want it to be. It can last for a couple of days or as long as a month. This 50 century old tradition combined with the modern craze of contemporary designs render it as an art with immense culture and contemporaneousness.
The henna powder mixed with hot water is made into a paste which is traced on a design on the specified body part; much the same way icing of a cake is done using a cone which contains the paste inside it. Once the design (tattoo) is done it is allowed to dry. A solution of lemon juice and sugar is applied to the drying mehndi to set it and bring out its lustrous texture.
The dried paste is scraped off, or washed with water that leaves behind the pattern in a rich reddish brown hue. The color and longevity of this tattoo depends on how long one may leave the paste on the skin (the longer the paste is left the darker the stain). For most effective results, the mehndi must be allowed to dry for seven to ten hours.
Different shades can be obtained by mixing in various natural ingredients like indigo, tea, coffee, cloves, tamarind, lemon, sugar, and various oils.
Since it is an ancient tradition followed in almost every Indian marriage, the application of henna (mehndi) is considered as a separate religious ritual altogether. A mehndi party is held at the home of the bride the night before the wedding which only women from the bride's side get to attend. The evening is spent applying mehndi designs to the bride's hands and feet and signing and dancing to various tunes. In this customary observance the mehndi is applied in the bride’s hand in the name of her “to be” husband wishing him and her all the health and happiness.
Indian mehndi designs incorporate fine lines and lacy patterns. They often include peacocks lotuses and raised elephant trunks that symbolize good luck and prosperity.
Off late the mehndi art has experiences a complete renewal and revivification. Mehndi designs have become a red hot fashion trend and are sported boisterously almost everywhere from hands and legs to neck and navel. It has become a unisex trend and is carried off in style by guys and girls alike. The traditional reddish brown hue coalesced with modern glitters and tinges no longer leave mehndi as just a marriage accessory, they are as frequently adorned as are tattoos. The adoption of mehndi by western models and movie stars just facilitated the establishment of mehndi as a new style statement. Whatever the reasons might be for being interested in henna, but for sure, one is delving into a beautiful form of art, rich in culture.
Ritu Naiya
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