It is customary for brides in Indian weddings to decorate their hands and feet with mehandi (henna) for weddings. This is a
social rather than a religious custom, and special mehandi parties are held a
few days before the wedding.
Mehandi patterns are painted with a green paste made from oil and the crushed
leaves of the mehandi tree. Once it is applied to the skin, it turns orange-red,
and lasts about three weeks. These patterns celebrate the hands as a miracle of
creation and a vehicle of love.
A bride’s feet are also adorned with henna and jewellery.
The soles of the feet are seen as a point of divine contact between a human
being
and the earth, so a bride’s first step into her husband’s house is
considered a very auspicious occasion. Hindus believe that Lakshmi, the goddess
of prosperity, dwells in henna designs. Wearing such designs ensures that Lakshmi
enters the marriage home when the bride does.
The forehead is another important part of the body to be decorated. Hindus
believe that the ‘third eye’, the eye of wisdom, is located between
the eyebrows. A tilak (mark of ground sandlewood and saffron paste) or a bindi
(bright red dot worn on the forehead) is worn to protect the third eye, and as
a sign of a pure, holy life. A tilak or bindi also shows that a woman is married.
While she is preparing for a Hindu wedding
ceremony, a bride may also paint small dots of colour over her eyebrows.
These marks recall a time when facial tattoos were worn as a protection against
evil spirits.
Indian brides will often wear a tika, jewellery worn on the head, either attached
to the central part of the hair, or to both sides of the head. It has recently
become fashionable for brides to wear a nath (nose ring) ornament. The nath is
sometimes supported by a chain to the earring, or attached into the hair.
Traditionally, the nath was a very important marriage ornament, especially
in northern India. It was normally given by the groom’s parents to the bride,
and signified the bride’s virginal status. Her husband had the right to
remove the nath, this act symbolising her transition from girl to woman.
