Anitha Chowdary

Mehndi (also called Mehandi) is the traditional art of painting the hands, feet or body with a paste made from the powdered, dried leaves of the henna plant (Botanical name : Lawsonia Inermis). It stain's a usually cherry-red to brown color but this can vary with time left on and a range of other factors.

Applying mehendi to the bride and the groom before the wedding is one of the oldest Indian traditions. The ceremony, however, entails an elaborate application ofmehendi designs on a bride's hands and feet. As for the groom, a mere token of application of henna is a mark of good omen.

It is colorful and cheerful and involves lots of singing, dancing, and of course,mehndi! The Mehndi night is typically the night before the wedding or just a fewnights before and is called Mehndi-Ki-Raat (which literally translates into Mehndi night)

First, henna is not necessarily a religious practice, although it has been done forreligious occasions, and some people incorporate religious symbols into theirhenna designs. Second, henna is not a “fake tattoo” (it isn't trying to emulate traditional ink tattooing) and is a completely separate art form

Pre-wedding ceremonies begin before the wedding and can sometimes be a week long celebration. Among the many traditions that are infused into Indian weddings, one of the most prominent is the mehndi ceremony. This is the day when mehndi is applied on the hands and feet of the bride and even the groom