Rite 08 · Before the wedding
Mehndi
An evening of henna, song and the slow patterning of the bride's hands. The women gather close as the cones trace fine dark vines across her skin, the groom's name hidden somewhere in the design — the last unhurried night before the wedding day breaks.
The whole weddingMehndi · मेहंदी
Rite 08 of 19Known locally as
Mehndi
/ meh·ndee / मेहंदी
the henna night — fine dark patterns worked across the bride's hands and feet the night before the wedding day.
What it is
The bride, and the women around her, have henna worked across their hands and feet in fine, dark patterns the night before the wedding.
Why it's done
Mehndi cools and adorns; tradition holds that the darker it stains, the deeper the love — and the bride does no housework until it fades, a last few days of being looked after. The groom's initials are often hidden in the design for him to find.
How it unfolds
A henna artist, or a gifted aunt, works for hours with the cone while the women sing and the bride sits as still as she can.
Who needs to be there
The bride and the women and girls of the family.
What's special — and how we keep it
The one quiet, unhurried night before the storm of the wedding day. We remember the patterns — and whose name was hidden in them.
Her side, and his
The bride's side
The henna night is hers; her women gather close around her hands and feet, the cones moving for hours.
The groom's side
On the groom's side it passes lightly — a small mark for luck, no more. The evening belongs to her.
Pandit ji, the mantra & the song Draft
The mangal geet
Mehndi songs, teasing and sweet, move with the cones late into the night.
In photographs
9 frames from this rite, in the order they happened.
Photographs in association with Balaji Photographer — a studio out of Barechhina, on the Almora–Pithoragarh highway.