Mehndi Designs: An Amazing Art
Mehndi designs are found on the hands and feet of many women in
India. This is a traditional form of art for the beautification of
ladies in the Indian Society. This is done to expose the personality of
a particular woman and generally the mehndi designs are done to mark
some auspicious occasions in the family.
 This is a popular form of art of beatification in the Indian
subcontinent to celebrate events and special occasions. This system of
decoration of skin with the application of mehndi designs has achieved
popularity in the western culture probably by the influence of
mainstream Indian movie starts and celebrities sporting this unique art
on their hands and feet.
Mehndi designs are also seen in Southwest Asia and in some parts of
Africa. Mehndi is a product of the plant Lawsonia Inermis, available in
plenty in Egypt, India and in some places in North Africa and Middle
East. The bush like plant is also grown in parts of California and also
in Florida. It is also called Hina or Henna and is found in many colors
varying from the reddish brown to reddish black. The leaves of the
plants are first dried properly and they are turned into powder by
pounding them. The powder is mixed with water to form a paste which is
applied to decorate the skin with Mehndi designs.
The mehndi design can stay there on the skin unblemished for a period
of nearly two week after the application. There appears to be several
styles that are followed while applying mehndi designs on the skin.
Middle eastern or the Arabic mehndi designs depict patterns compromising
of flowers, which have a floral approach in the spirit of the designs of
the decorations made on hands and feet. The North African style of
mehndi design is mainly floral designs prepared on geometrical diagrams
and shapes for decoration on skin. The pattern which is followed in
Indonesia and in other parts of South Asia consists of mehndi designs on
the mixed idea of both Indian and Middle East styles of colors on the
tips of fingers of women. Pakistani mehndi designs are very much in
demand in Bangladesh, which likes to incorporate the North Indian Style
and other motifs of flowers and shapes in their mehndi designs for
decoration of hands or feet of the women folk there. Recently the
artists are using some Celtic designs and a few Chinese motifs in the
work of decoration with mehndi designs.
 The bridal mehndi design is
more in demand in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Majority of the
wedding functions witness women dressed in their best costumes with the
mehndi designs as decoration to mark the happy occasion. The hands and
feet of the bride have to be decorated with mehndi designs as a
compulsory and traditional custom in most of the Indian homes. Not only
the bride, but all her friends and relatives take special interest and
enjoy the decoration of their hands and feet on the auspicious wedding
ceremony. This mehndi designs decoration ceremony is regarded as a mark
of blessing from elders for the happy conjugal life of the newly weds.
The traditional mehndi decoration ceremony is a pleasing part of the
Indian wedding and is generally enjoyed by the women folk on the night
before the wedding day. The importance of the mehndi night is also seen
in Saudi Arabia, UAE and other adjacent countries, where the night has a
special meaning for the women to enjoy. Mehndi or henna is also used as
mehndi tattoos designs but they are very short lived. Mehndi designs are
safe because of the natural origin of the ingredient. Now the mehndi
decoration is being appreciated by women all over the world.
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