Page 30 - Seniorstoday February 2022 Issue

For centuries, the tradition of applying
mehendi was practised in India, Africa, and
the Middle East, where henna is believed to
bring love and good fortune, and to protect
against evil.
Mehendi is traditionally applied for
wedding ceremonies, during important
rites of passage, and in times of joyous
celebration. Symbolising fertility and good
luck it has been used for artistic, ritual and
ceremonial purposes and, as a pre-wedding
ritual, it is not just a decorative addition to
a bride’s wedding look, but has scientific
reasons behind its application. Henna
known for its cooling and healing qualities
is supposed to calm the bride’s nerves. Its
medicinal properties were well known in
ancient times, when it was applied to the
skin for healing headaches, stomach pains,
burns and sunburns, wounds, fevers, and
even for prevention of hair loss. Henna
designs were also painted on pregnant
women who, could enjoy a few weeks off
from housework.
Indian weddings are not a one-day grand
affair but a series of joyous celebrations,
where friends and family gather, to be
transported into a fantasy fun-filled land.
30
After Ganesh Puja, festivities begin with
the mehendi ceremony when, the bride-
to-be, her friends and the ladies of the
family prepare to adorn their hands and
feet with designs. The finest quality of
organic mehendi organic from Sojat, a town
in Rajasthan famous for the cultivation
of the henna plant. This decorative art is
eclectic, imaginative, offering something for
everyone - the traditional, the eccentric and
trendy, they are all there to suit every taste.
From that ingenious invention, the
mehendi cone, flow paisleys, lacy flowers,
geometric checks and dots; delicate leafy
vines trail across palms. The aesthetics
of patterning are not only Indian. Bold,
geometric African designs and the more
delicate and feminine Arabic, where motifs
are generally applied to one side of the hand
and feet and do not extend to forearms or
calves, offer endless design possibilities. Nail
art, bindi art are all incorporated into this
colourful ritual.