Mehndi Ks1

[Reuquen Boyett]

Mehndiis a popular form of body art in South Asia and resembles similar traditions of henna as body art found in North Africa, East Africa and the Middle East. There are many different names for mehndi across the languages of South Asia.

There are many variations and designs. Women usually apply mehndi designs to their hands and feet, though some, including cancer patients and women with alopecia, occasionally decorate their scalps.[2] The standard color of henna is brown, but other design colors such as white, red, black and gold are sometimes used.[2]

In South Asia, mehndi is applied on the body during both Hindu and Muslim weddings.[3] Hindu women apply mehndi during festivals like Karva Chauth, Vat Purnima, Diwali, Bhai Dooj, Navratri, Durga Puja, and Teej.[4] Muslim women apply mehndi during occasions like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.[5]

At Hindu and Sikh festivals, women often have henna applied to their hands, feet and sometimes the backs of their shoulders. Conversely, men usually have it applied on their arms, legs, back, and chest. For women, it is usually drawn on their palms, backs of their hands and on feet, where the design will be clearest due to contrast with the lighter skin on these surfaces, which naturally contains less of the pigment melanin.[citation needed]

The origin of "mehndi" is from the Sanskrit word "mendhika," which refers to the henna plant that releases a red dye.[6] According to A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English, mehndi also refers to "the marriage-feast on the occasion of the bride's hands and feet being stained with henna."[6]

Earliest use of henna dye can be traced back to ancient Babylon and Egypt.[7] In India It was in prevalent use by the 4th century, which is evidenced by the cave arts of Deccan region.[7][better source needed]

Mehndi paste is usually applied to the skin using a plastic cone, a paintbrush, or a stick. Fifteen to twenty minutes after application, the mud will dry and begin to crack. The painted area is then wrapped with tissue, plastic, or medical tape to lock in body heat, creating a more intense colour on the skin. The wrap, which is not a traditional method, is worn for two to six hours, or sometimes overnight, and then removed. [citation needed]

When first removed, the henna design is pale to dark orange in colour and gradually darkens through oxidation, over the course of 24 to 72 hours. The final color is reddish brown and can last anywhere from one to three weeks depending on the quality and type of henna paste applied, as well as where it was applied on the body (thicker skin stains darker and longer than thin skin).[citation needed]

Likely due to the desire for a "tattoo-black" appearance, some people add the synthetic dye p-phenylenediamine (PPD) to henna to give it a black colour. PPD may cause moderate to severe allergic reactions when applied to skin.[9]

Mehndi is a ceremonial art form common in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. It is typically applied during weddings for Sikh, Muslim and Hindu brides. In Rajasthan, the grooms are given designs that are often as elaborate as those for brides. In Assam, apart from marriage, it is broadly used by unmarried women during Rongali Bihu.[citation needed]

Among South Asian Muslims, mehndi is a common tradition for brides as well as other girls on weddings. It is also done for Eid on Chaand Raat. There are professionals as well for this while other people do this by their own.

This pattern is drawn on the palm. Generally, it starts from one corner of the wrist and ends at finger tip on the opposite corner. Vine, lace, and flowers are the main elements of this pattern.[citation needed]

Mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols used in various spiritual traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Shinto. Various configurations of Mandala are drawn on the center of palm in this mehndi pattern.[citation needed]

The recipe I followed to bake the cookies was from Katrina's Kitchen blog. I followed her instructions exactly and made about 3 batches for a yield of 60 cookies. Once I had baked the cookies, I placed them on individual squares of parchment paper to allow them to cool without sticking to each other. The cookies need to cool completely before you can decorate them, otherwise the icing will melt.

Once I was happy with the colors, I turned my attention to the consistency. Although royal icing is easy to make because it only requires a handful of ingredients, nailing the different consistencies is tricky.

When I was finally happy with my consistencies, I placed the icing into disposable decorating bags. To easily fill the decorating bags with icing, place the bags inside large glasses and turn the sides over. Then, plop your icing into it. One the bag is full of icing, remove it from the mug and twist the top until it resembles a cone. Now, it's time to decorate!

I resisted the urge to complete each cookie one by one. Instead, I decorated the cookies in two stages. During the first stage, I focused on icing the background layer on all of the cookies. I used flooding consistency icing to create a solid, square outline on each cookie.

Baking tip: Allow the fully-iced cookies to dry overnight before stacking or packaging them. Royal icing may look like it's dry within a few hours, but gentle pressure will make it crack and ruin your design. To avoid air exposure, place the cookies in a large aluminum foil tray in a single row and cover tightly with a lid.

This baking adventure reminded me that one of the best feelings in the world is to do something no one - including yourself - believed you could do. I had my doubts, I had my missteps, but ultimately, I succeeded in making mehndi cookie favors from scratch.

Seville is often called the heart of southern Spain and the pearl of Andalusia. Within a few hours of arriving, we understood why. Seville is an exotic old city that reverberates with history, culture, and passion. It was once the residence of kings and caliphs who constructed resplendent palaces, colossal cathedrals, and expansive ports through which the riches of the world flowed into Spain. From here, generations of royalty ruled over empires, and each left their mark on the monuments, customs, and celebrations that still exist today. This was also the birthplace of the quintessential Spanish tradition of flamenco.

My husband was born and raised in India and I was born and raised in the United States. When we were in our early stages of dating, we had already begun to talk about marriage as we both knew from day one that we would spend the rest of our lives with each other. So, due to coming from two completely different cultures, we decided to have to two separate weddings in order to be able to give full respect to the ways that each of our cultures signify and celebrate marriages.

After a couple hours of sitting in the same chair, my butt began to go numb and feel a little sore. I was sitting in a plastic chair with no cushion, so I summoned my groom and asked him to bring a pillow for me to sit on. We had to get the pillow under my butt without accidentally swiping off any of the wet henna that was on my hands and feet, which was a much bigger task than I had anticipated. We called in Derek for backup and I had to be lifted up while the pillow was slid onto the seat.

Eventually, we moved outside where the beautiful decor was located so that the photographers could get some nice action shots while my mehndi was still being applied. Although it was nice to stand up and move locations, this was yet another difficult task as we had to ensure that the skirt of my chaniya choli would not touch my feet. Simultaneously, I had to make certain that my hands did not touch anything during this move or else the design might get ruined. We ended up clipping my skirt with some chip-clips, then I walked over to the new seating spot, arms extended outward as if I was a doll whose arms were unable to bend.

My feet both had the same design on each of them and this includes lotus flowers, jhumkas (traditional-style Indian earrings), a peacock, Indian architecture and additional abstract designs as fillers.

Now that the mehndi application was finished, it was time to take photos with my groom and then with the family. But first, Moni pulled out the blowdryer to help speed up the drying process in order to lessen the chance of accidentally messing up the designs. I was just happy to be standing and have some freedom of movement back!

Despite being raised in a traditional South Asian Muslim household, I forced myself to assimilate to societal norms. In a four letter term, I was the epitome of an ABCD (American-Born Confused Desi).

Mehndi, better known as henna, is a form of body art which has roots in South Asian, Middle Eastern and African cultures. Anciently used for medicinal properties, the paste made from powdered leaves of the henna plant is now often reserved for special occasions, such as religious celebrations, weddings and other cultural festivities.

Beginning from memories of my aunt using mehndi to write my name on the palms of my hands as a toddler, I grew up with its potent scent fueling my creative ambitions. At 6 years old, I bought a composition notebook, outlined sketches of my hand on pages, and practiced various designs on every one of those pages. Every year on Chand Raat (the night before Eid), my cousins and I would patiently wait in turns for our aunts to decorate our hands with designs found on Pinterest. Every wedding I would attend, a mehndi artist would station themselves in a single spot for hours, quickly applying intricate patterns in mere minutes for each person attending, with everyone watching in awe.

As I slowly matured to appreciate the significance of mehndi in my life, I began to acknowledge other pieces of my heritage. The art of mehndi was not just a silly temporary tattoo, it held meaning, value and significance in regards to my identity.

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