Wedding traditions with henna
Henna is a plant dye that stains skin a reddish brown for days or weeks.
Henna is a plant dye that stains skin a reddish brown for days or weeks. It is applied to brides, sometimes grooms and guests, in a long evening of song and gossip. It stands for joy, luck, beauty and protection, and the stain itself is something to be proud of.
A tradition across regions
In Morocco the lilat el henna gathers the bride's women, with a henna maker, the neggafa, and special songs. In India and Pakistan the mehndi may be an event of its own, with elaborate designs on the hands and feet and the groom's initials hidden in the pattern. Among Yemeni and Moroccan Jews, the henna ceremony is a major event. In Turkey the kina gecesi has a song for the bride and a coin pressed in her palm. Palestinian, Gulf, Sudanese and Somali brides have their own patterns.
Folk beliefs and practice
Many believe a dark stain means a loving marriage. The bride is often excused from housework until it fades, a kind of rest before she begins her new life. Henna is a plant product and safe, though so-called black henna contains a chemical dye that can cause burns and should be avoided. Many couples now include guests in henna parties.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Henna (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mehndi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oppana: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
- Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
- Azerbaijani wedding traditions: Azim Azimzadeh, Public domain, source
- Indian wedding clothes: Lee Jordan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Arab wedding: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
- Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source