The art of henna painting is passed on from mothers to daughters in all of the castes of Indi from the peasants, to the harem women, and to the princesses and goddesses. Typically, women afforded great amounts of leisure time were most often decorated with henna. Harem women, princesses and consorts are included in this group. Henna is a principal part of the harem woman’s beauty ritual; special trips were made to the bathhouses where henna was used as a hair dye to cover up gray hair, as well as an antiperspirant to cover the soles of their feet.3 The henna plant has also been used to treat ulcers of the mouth, burns, hot swellings and small scratches. It was many hundreds of years ago when the application of henna to a woman’s hands and feet first assumed the form of an intricate ritual. Henna is a good omen to be used during auspicious occasions such as weddings and religious festivals, births and naming ceremonies, circumcisions, birthdays and holidays. The Indian bridal shower is a rite of passage itself women gather to sing, dance, eat, and tease the bride. Mehndi is purely for physical adornment, an emblem to decorate a woman’s body. The bridal shower is also an informal chance to acknowledge the powerful commitment between the ewlyweds. Indian women offer the bride gifts and advice on married life; the party is given to calm the bride and keep her spirits high, for her wedding will be the most important day in her life. A specialist may be hired to paint the bride with henna; she also provides anecdotes and jokes to entertain the bride and her guests.

Website: http://www.angelfire.com/