Mehndi on a hand

Another intricate Mehndi pattern

Mehndi (or Henna) is the application of henna (Hindustani: हेना- حنا- urdu) as a temporary form of skin decoration, in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Somaliland as well as expatriate communities from these areas. It is typically employed for special occasions, particularly weddings. It is usually drawn on the hands and feet, where the color will be darkest because the skin contains higher levels of keratin which binds permanently to lawsone, the colorant of henna. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Look up henna in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The word Hindustani is an adjective used to denote a connection to India, or, more precisely, the historical region that encompasses Northern India, Pakistan, and nearby areas. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ... Complex Kadakali makeup is a form of body art Body art is art made on, with, or consisting of, the human body. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... For other territories formerly called Somaliland, see Somaliland (disambiguation). ... Nuptial is the adjective of wedding. It is used for example in zoology to denote plumage, coloration, behavior, etc related to or occurring in the mating season. ... Not to be confused with kerogen or carotene. ... Lawsone (2-Hydroxy-1,4-Naphthoquinone) Lawsone (2-Hydroxy-1,4-Naphthoquinone), or hennotannic acid, is a red-orange pigment present in the leaves of the henna plant as well as impatiens balsamica. ...

Henna paste is usually applied to the skin using a plastic cone or a paint brush, but sometimes a small metal-tipped jacquard bottle used for silk painting (a jac bottle) is used. Henna can be bought at a store in a plastic or paper cones. The painted area is then wrapped with tissue, plastic, or medical tape to lock in body heat, creating a more intense color on the skin. The wrap is worn overnight and then removed. The final color is reddish brown and can last anywhere from two weeks to several months depending on the quality of the paste.

The patterns of mehndi are typically quite intricate and predominantly applied to brides before wedding ceremonies. However, traditions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sudan sometimes expect bridegrooms to be painted as well. In Rajasthan (north-west India), where mehndi is a very ancient folkart, the grooms are given designs that are often as elaborate as those for brides. In Kerala (southern India), henna is known as mylanchi and is commonly used by the Mappila (Muslim) community during weddings and festivals. Bride Bride in formal dress North America. ... Nuptial is the adjective of wedding. It is used for example in zoology to denote plumage, coloration, behavior, etc related to or occurring in the mating season. ... A groom waits for his bride. ... , Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ...

In Arabic and Persian speaking countries, such as Morocco, it is done for any special occasion. It is done during the seventh month of pregnancy, after having the baby, weddings, engagements, family get-togethers, as well as many other reasons to simply celebrate an event. Arabic redirects here. ... Farsi redirects here. ... This article is about human pregnancy in biological females. ...

Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are sometimes called "henna tattoos". This term isn't accurate, because tattoos are defined as permanent surgical insertion of pigments underneath the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface. For other uses, see Tattoo (disambiguation). ... Natural Ultramarine pigment in powdered form. ...

Mehndi on a hand Image File history File links Mehndi on hand File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Another intricate Mehndi pattern Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1632x1224, 875 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

External links

• /Mehndi Designs
• Huge Collection of Mehndi Designs and Designers' Database
• Bridal service offering impressive Mehndi designs