Before many weddings, the bride's hands and feet are painted with henna, and in many places the couple are rubbed with turmeric paste.
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Before many weddings, the bride's hands and feet are painted with henna, and in many places the couple are rubbed with turmeric paste. The paint is a blessing, a beauty treatment and a reason for women to gather, sing and tease. From Morocco to Malaysia, from the Hindu mehndi to the Turkish kina gecesi, the stain is meant to be dark, and a dark stain is traditionally taken as a sign of luck.
Henna is a paste made from the dried and ground leaves of the henna shrub, Lawsonia inermis, mixed with water, lemon juice or tea and applied in lines, flowers and paisley. It dries to a crust and leaves an orange to deep brown stain on the skin that fades over two or three weeks. It is used in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, and by migrant communities across the world. The designs range from the fine geometric patterns of Morocco and Yemen to the filled flowers of Pakistan and the Arabic style with long vines.
The henna night is usually held at the bride's home with her female relatives and friends, with music, dance and food. It is a farewell as much as a decoration: in many families the bride is gently tearful, and songs about leaving her mother's house are sung. In India the mehndi may be combined with the sangeet, a night of music, and the groom's name or initials may be hidden in the design for him to find. Other communities have a joint henna night for both families.
In Hindu communities the haldi ceremony, a yellow paste of turmeric, sandalwood and oil, is applied to the couple's skin by family before the wedding. It is meant to bless, cleanse and give a glow. Bengali weddings call it gaye holud, and in Bangladesh the gifts of fish, sweets and yellow clothes are carried to the other family. In South India the bride may be bathed in oil and turmeric water in a ritual called the mangala snanam. Other cultures use rose water, milk, clay or sandalwood.
Professional henna artists now take bookings, and designs include portraits, names and floral work that can take hours. Some brides choose smaller patterns or skip the paint, and guests may be given a small design too. Brides with sensitive skin are cautioned to avoid black henna, a hair dye that can cause skin reactions, and to use pure henna only. The social side of the night continues to matter most.
The mehndi, with women applying henna to the bride's hands and feet, is held before the wedding, and the sangeet and the haldi ceremony follow in many Hindu families. The groom's name is sometimes hidden in the pattern, and tradition says that the darker the stain, the stronger the love.
Read: MehndiThe mehndi night is a large event with song, dance and the carrying of henna trays by the groom's family. The bride, often dressed in yellow or green, is seated on a decorated stage while relatives come to put a dab of henna on her palm.
Read: MehndiThe gaye holud, the turmeric ceremony, is held on the eve of the wedding by both families separately, who send each other a procession of gifts including a large fish, sweets and saris. Turmeric paste is applied to the bride or groom by guests who then feed them sweets.
Read: Gaye holudMalay couples hold the berinai, or henna night, and the bride's fingertips and palms are stained red. The groom and bride later sit on a dais for the bersanding, where elders and guests sprinkle rice and scented water.
Malay wedding, being writtenHan brides are not painted with henna. The decorations are red, and on the eve a family elder may comb the bride's hair four times, with blessings, in a rite called shangtou, and in some regions face threading is used to smooth the skin.
Chinese marriage, being writtenThe henna night is held in the bride's home on the eve of the wedding, with songs and a plate of henna carried in with candles. In the folk song Xฤฑna yaxdฤฑ, women sing of the bride's hands being stained.
Henna night, being written
MehndiHenna art in South Asia.
Henna nightThe dye plant and its uses.
Gaye holudBengali turmeric ceremony.
NegafaThe Moroccan bridal dresser.
Bridal showerThe party before the wedding.Also part of it, and being written: Haldi (The Hindu turmeric ceremony.), Henna night (Pre-wedding henna gatherings.), Sangeet (The night of music before an Indian wedding.).
Usually one to three weeks, depending on the skin and the care taken. A thick, dark stain often comes from leaving the paste on for several hours and keeping the skin warm.
No. So-called black henna often contains a chemical dye that can cause burns and allergic reactions. Pure henna is orange to brown and has no such risk, and a skin patch test is advisable.
It is prized for its colour and is traditionally linked with purity, blessing and a healthy glow. The ceremony is carried out by relatives.
Often, yes. At many henna nights the guests, especially women, are offered a small design.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
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