The mehndi party is a pre-wedding event for the bride and her closest female friend and family. The event is based around the application of henna, also known as mehndi, to the hands and feet. It is a fun celebration with dancing, brightly coloured clothes and music.
The henna or mehndi is a plant dye made from Lawsonia inermis, the henna plant. The plant is known for its cooling properties and, in warmer countries, henna paste has been used for centuries to help control the body temperature, supposedly reducing the heat from fever and reducing stress.
For centuries henna has also been used for body art. Hence the mehndi party usually being held a day or two before the wedding, when a henna artist applies beautiful and intricate designs to the hands and feet of the bride and her guests ready for the wedding day. The henna gradually fades over two to three weeks. More recently the bride will get the henna applied before the mehndi party in her home.
The application of henna is a highly skilled practice and can take from two hours to six hours to apply depending on how much coverage the bride wants and the intricacy of the design. Many brides do both sides of their hands and mid-way up their forearm and both feet up to the ankles. Some brides may want the design all the way up to their elbows and knees. In which case the application time will be much longer. For guests who just want simple designs on their hands the application time is much shorter, ten to fifteen minutes.
The guest list for a mehndi party is smaller than for the wedding day so a smaller venue is preferred but there needs to be enough room for dancing. The décor for the mehndi party, like the clothes, is about bright colours, green, orange, yellow, pink and gold being the favoured colours. The stage will be decorated with bright fabrics draped around the stage and there will be colourful cushions scattered around the stage. Often dhol players will be present at the event. The dhol is a type of drum.
Food will be served and there will be a cake. The cake has become an integral part of the mehndi party and will also be decorated with bright colours. It is often in the shape of a cushion or dhol or a tiered cake decorated with henna designs or bright coloured flowers. There is a choice for the flavours of the cake. The mehndi cake is usually smaller than the wedding cake.
Music is an important part of the mehndi party. Hiring a DJ is a good idea. If a DJ isn’t hired it is important to pre-plan a playlist. There needs to be enough music to last for the event and also needs to be suitable for dancing to.
Gifts are not expected at a mehndi party as these will be given at the wedding but the bride may give her guests small gifts such as sweets, henna cones or bangles.
