Mehendi: the amazing art of henna designs on the body (18 photos)

Mehendi is henna designs. They are applied to various parts of the body: arms, shoulders, legs, back and stomach. The tradition of decorating oneself with elegant ornaments appeared in India and the Middle East. At first, masters and self-taught amateurs painted women's legs with henna, and then they began to apply designs to other parts of the body. Moreover, mehendi was prohibited for unmarried girls.





At the same time, in India, the wedding ceremony was closely intertwined with the tradition of decorating the bride with henna designs. Before the wedding, the groom gave his future wife a gift - a box of henna. And on the eve of the celebration, the female half of the family painted intricate designs on the bride’s hands and feet, which carried secret messages to the future spouse and were considered sacred. An Indian wedding was celebrated as long as the mehendi was kept on the bride's body.