Traditions - Mehndi (Henna)

Weddings in India are considered to be a sacred and sanctified ritual. A typical Indian wedding is 3 days long. Pre-celebrations and post celebrations, talk about a party! The Mehndi is one of the most important and fun pre-wedding rituals. Celebrated by the bride, family and her friends. Different regions of the country celebrate the ritual in a different way according to their own marriage customs, rituals, and culture.

Image Via Hocus Pocus

Mehndi or Henna itself is eco-friendly. It is a natural tattoo paste, made from the roots of the Henna plant. Green Mehndi is ground to a fine paste. Mehndi is symbolically an important part of the Indian wedding. As Mehndi changes its colour from green to orange-red after application, so does a bride flower into her womanhood after marriage.

Image Via GV Herb Shop

Here's a great article from I Love Indian on the Mehndi ceremony.

The ceremony is mostly held at bride's place or sometimes in a banquet hall on the eve of the marriage ceremony or few days before the marriage. On this occasion a professional henna designer or some relative applies mehendi to the bride's hands and feet. There are few places in India where it is a ritual that the first motif of henna or mehendi is applied by the bride's sister-in-law whereas there are some places where the first mehendi motif is said to be auspicious if applied by bride's mother.

The Mehendi or henna motif is not only the adoration of the bride rather it epitomizes her transformation from a virgin girl to a temptress for her husband. As per Kama Sutra, henna is one of the sixty four arts of women. Popular motifs of the bridal mehendi are conchshell, flowers, Kalash, peacock, doli and baraat patterns. The intricate motifs of the bridal henna also hide the husband's name. It is said that the husband's name in the intricate henna motifs is made for the groom who has to find out his name in his bride's mehendi as an evidence of his sharp eyes and active brain to impress his girl.

Mehendi function is usually organized with the sangeet function. So, it has a festive feel to it with the women dancing and singing traditional songs on the mehendi ritual. The bride is dressed in light color clothes with light jewelry. According to the custom the bride must not step out of the house after the mehendi ritual until the wedding day. It is believed that the darker and deeper the henna stains the more the husband and the in-laws will love her bride. The ritual of mehendi signifies the strength and power of love in a marriage so it is regarded good omen for the would-be bride. It is said that the long the bride retains the mehendi, the more auspicious would be her future.

Related Site

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Title: Mehndi/Henna application...

My passion... applying mehndi

Title: Shri Krishna - Banni Ko Byah (wedding song, bride mehndi)

A wedding song from Ramanand Sagar's epic television series Shri Krishna. The composition and lyrics are by Ravindra Jain, it is sung by Hemlata, and it describes the bridal "shingaar" (makeover) of Lord Krishna's mother Devaki. The song is a good example of the vibrant folk music and wedding traditions of India.

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Faux-Bois Fun!

Amy Atlas create a fall-inspired dessert bar with faux-bois and acorns, just in time for Thanksgiving.

For desserts, they made almond fondant cakes placed on tree trunk cake stands. They also created pistachio cinnamon meringue and tuiles filled with spiced-apple custard.

To get the recipe for pistachio cinnamon meringue check out her blog!

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Title: Crawdiddy featuring Rocky McKeon - "MayBelle"

Sus un chemin de blacktop au sud de Thibodaux
Reste une jolie 'tite fille nommée Maybelle Breaux
Alle aime la musique, alle aime pêcher
Alle a une bonne allure et ça me fait souhaiter...

Que Maybelle Breaux poudrait être ma fille
Et me soigner toute ma vie
Une, deux, trois, ouais j'ai compté
J'y ai demander de me marier
Alle a dit ouais. C'était septembre.
Et laisse mon te dire qu'on est bien contents...

Maybelle Breaux, ça c'est ma fille
J'aime la maniere qu'alle frit mon poulet
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
Alle goûte si bon tout le monde le connaît
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
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Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
Alle soigne mon chien et alle frotte mon dos
Ça c'est pas faux!

Samedi au soir, ouais, c'est tout bon
C'est mon, Maybelle et de la boisson
Alle bois du Tequila, mon, je bois du Rum
On crie bien fort avec de l'agrément

Équand ce gros bougre-là plein de tattoos
'Trappe Maybelle et dit j'veux danser itou
Avant que je pouvais jongler à qui j'aurais fait
Il était par terre et j'crois qu'il pleurait
Je connais pas si j'avais dit ça avant
Maybelle fait du karate et c'est bien bon

Oh Maybelle Breaux ça c'est ma fille
J'aime la manière qu'alle cuit du fard
Maybelle ça c'est ma fille
Alle goûte si bon, j'vas la voir plus tard
Maybelle ça c'est ma fille
Je l'aime autant que ma guitare
Maybelle ça c'est ma fille
Alle lave mon truck et arrange mes bandes
Comment t'aimes ça!

Maybelle est pas fionée, tu connais qui ça mean
Mais, quand alle marche sus la rue dans ses jeans
T'es peut-être un Jack, t'es peut-être un B.J.
Tu vas tomber à genou, et crier pitié

Mais va donc frère, ouais, assaye ça
Parce que mon et Maybelle, connaît qui on a
On se tracasse pas, on se sépare pas
Cette flame qu'on a s'arrêtera pas
Maybelle, c'est est une ange, Maybelle, c'est un joker
Alle me donne le deck quand on joue strip poker

Maybelle Breaux, ça c'est ma fille
J'aime la maniere qu'alle frit mon poulet
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
Alle goûte si bon tout le monde le connaît
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
Alle me fait aller pour une autre goutée
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille

Maybelle Breaux, ça c'est ma fille
J'aime la maniere qu'alle frit mon poulet
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
Alle goûte si bon tout le monde le connaît
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille
Alle me fait aller pour une autre goutée
Maybelle, ça c'est ma fille

Title: Splurge vs Steal 1

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Check out hollandkitty!
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Ban Do, Can Do...Hair

Sorry I didn't have a chance to post Fashion Friday. But, I've made it make up today with these ultra hip hair accessories from ban.do, via Junebug Loves. Jen and Jamie two stylists from Los Angeles also create amazing belts, corsages, and collars. I'm heading over to pick up some band and collars for the fall!

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Title: 5 Quick Hair Dos - [Pony Tail, Poof, Faux Hawk, Up Do, Headband]

I'm always on the go... Hair Styles have to quickly change throughout the day. Here are 5 hair dos I quickly did right after the first video... Volume Hair Tutorial... same day, same shirt =]

Be sure to watch the first video which helps you volumize your hair so you can style it in many more ways!

So I'm definitely still a video virgin... so hopefully they'll get better... til then I hope you learned something new from my video.

Music By:
Joy Williams *One of Those Days*
Owl City *Rainbow Veins*
Owl City *The Saltwater Room*

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING! Don't forget to Subscribe!

kitty*

Disclaimer: I've purchased every single item and the music used on this video with my own money. No affiliation whatsoever with any company at all. No one is paying me. Just speaking from experience.

Title: How To Do Scene Hair (Remake!)

Redid the video, turned out loads better. =]

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Bridesmaid gift idea for your winter wedding: Fleece-lined Plush tights

Tights can be a really fun way to mix up your bridesmaids' style, especially in the cooler months.

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While picking up a pair of fabulous-fitting jeans at the Denim Bar before my Groupon could expire, I came across these ingenious tights by Plush.

They are fleece-lined so they keep you nice and warm without adding any bulk! Don't you just love it when form and function come together so nicely? I tried mine on last night and they were oh-so comfortable, soft, and flattering. They were even thin enough to wear with heels.

Plush Fleece-lined Tights ($34)

If you are getting married when or where the weather could prove to be frightful, these might be a great way to pull off a short bridesmaid dress and keep your lovely friends warm and smiling on your big day. (Teeth chattering can be so distracting when you're trying to say "I do.") Plus, unlike that persimmon or fuchsia dress that you chose, your 'maids actually will wear these again, to the tune of skirts and dresses with boots and heels even when Jack Frost is in town.

After braving harsh temperatures in NYC and feeling as though her style suffered because of it, designer Jennifer Kim dreamed these up. Thanks, Jennifer! Her products come in a variety of styles, including leggings and hats.

Choose to see la vie en rose,

Jannah

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http://www.silverlandjewelry.com/ - You may want some bridesmaid gifts to give to your bridesmaid as it is your way of thanking them for being there and helping you out during your wedding. This site offers various options of these items for you to select and these come at a reasonable price.

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