Kahe sakhiyan, ab kaliyan, haathon par khilne wali hai' There is no better way to elaborate the significance of these delicate henna designs which blossom on the palms and feet of a bride-to-be. A traditional aspect of the ancient Solah Shringaar, the Mehndi is an inalienable part of an Indian bride's wedding look. And so's the ritual around it. We pay homage here to the Mehndi ceremony, explaining what it's all about and how you would find it in every cultural sub-set in India.Held a day before the actual wedding, the Mehndi ceremony is a fun-filled, nostalgic sit-down for the bride, her cousins, siblings, friends, aunts and others. This is their day, filled with fun, laughter, songs, dances and games as each sits down for a dollop of Mehndi over their hands and feet. Often held on a sunny day outdoors, the Mehndi ceremony actually occurs for both the bride and the groom on the same day. Nowadays, many brides-to-be choose to do one combined mehndi function.

During this ceremony, a paste made out of haldi (turmeric) is applied to both the bride and the groom’s bodies before their wedding. The paste can either be homemade or store-bought (or, in our case, a combination of both), the choice being up to the bride, groom and their families. Traditionally, this ceremony was held separately for the bride and the groom at their respective homes on the morning of the wedding day. As time passed, this ceremony started to be combined for both the bride and groom into one event versus two separate events, largely

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