Being half Indian, I have a tendency to gravitate towards anything Indian - particularly the food, textiles, jewerly, and handicrafts. I'm also drawn to many of the traditions that are such an important part of the Indian culture.
One of the most beautiful to me is the Mehndi traidition - or the application of henna on your hands or really anywhere on your body, in intricate designs. This has become quite popular and something you can get at a salon or tattoo parlour. It's a great way for people to decorate their bodies without the long-term commitment.
But Mehndi is also something more, it's a beautiful tradition that takes place before a South Asian wedding. Traditionally it's for the women of the bridal party and involves food, singing, and of course Mehndi. Everyone at the party has Mehndi applied, but it's the bride who has the most intricate designs on both her arms and legs. For some the tradition involves hiding the groom's name in one of the designs which he must search to find for good luck. Some designs are quite intricate as you can see below:
(image from www.hennalounge.com)
When my friend Ramya got married a few years ago, the bridesmaids (one of them being me) threw her a mehndi party. And since one of my favorite things to do is design cards, I did the invitations to the party. Here's how they turned out:
I like how they turned out, the quote I actually found on the internet and speaks to the name of the groom being imprinted on the bride's hand. It was interesting to hear people's reactions to the invitations - the quote really resonnated with many of the indian women. As I mentioned before Mehndi has become part of the mainstream, you can get a henna tatto anywhere:
And mehndi shows up in unexpected places like this amazing ring by Cathy Waterman. There are also other's here.
