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Henna's auspicious reddish colour merits its use during all ceremonies related to marriage(vivaha) and married women. It denotes the prosperity that a bride is expected to bring to her new house and is a part of the 16 traditional adornments, with a special ceremony of its own, simply called Mehendi. A day before the wedding, all the friends and relatives of the bride gather together, and the dark green paste of henna leaves is applied in decorative designs to the bride's palms and feet. The paste can be made by grinding fresh leaves, or by powdering dried leaves and then mixing the powder with water. A professional is usually called upon, for the
Process is almost an art form. The henna paste is squeezed through the tip of a cone and by systematically moving the cone, the designs are 'drawn'.
After this, the paste must be allowed to dry until it becomes hard and crusted. This takes three to four hours. During this time, the bride must sit still. She gets some much-needed rest and listens to the advice of friends and relatives who are also participating in this ceremony. Because of its cooling effect, henna also calms the bride's nerves. After it dries, it is washed off or scraped off with the help of a blunt knife, leaving a dark rust imprint, which stays for about a week. After the wedding, the bride is not expected to do any domestic work till her henna fades.
Apart from weddings, henna is also applied during the various vratas observed by married women. It is very popular with both men and women as a conditioner and dye for the hair. Packets of powdered henna are commonly sold by grocers. There are two popular beliefs associated with henna. The first is more a social superstition. According to this belief, the unmarried girl who receives henna scrapings from a bride will herself be married soon (a similar superstition exists about a Christian bride's bouquet). The other belief about henna is that the darker the imprint left on the bride's palms, the more her mother-in-law will love her. This was probably devised to instill patience in the bride: to make her sit still for the henna to dry as well in dealing with her new family.
