Know the Secrets of Mehndi and Mehndi Designs!!
The form of art that has surpassed clothes and jewelry in enhancing
the beauty and personality of a woman are the mehndi designs. The mehndi
designs, which were once considered an outdated form of body art, are
now being tagged as the trendiest way of body decoration. Initially, the
application of mehndi was related only to a joyous occasion or to a form
of celebration but today, it is considered as a popular body art that
exposes the persona of a woman.
 The Mughal emperors are accredited to bringing the tradition of
mehndi to the Indian subcontinent, and since then, application of mehndi
has become an important part of our own tradition. According to some
historians, mehndi owes its origin to the Egyptians where it was used as
a stain to colour the toes and fingers preceding mummification.
However, in India and the neighboring countries, none of the
festivity or celebration is complete unless the women have applied
beautiful mehndi designs on their hands. The mehndi designs are
specially created to suit all kinds of event – be it Eid, Diwali,
engagement ceremony or wedding.
Mehndi designs are traditionally applied in four different styles.
The most popular application worldwide is undoubtedly the Middle Eastern
or Arabic mehndi designs. This style is based on the floral patterns,
Arabic textiles, carvings and even paintings. The geometric floral
pattern form a part of the North African mehndi designs.
 The other two popular kinds of mehndi designs are the South Asian and
Indonesian styles. These forms are basically a mix of the Indian and
Arabian motifs. It particularly involves the use of mehndi blocks on the
tips of fingers and toes. A little modification of the Middle Eastern
designs is applied in the form of Pakistani mehndi designs. They use a
blend of the Arabic and North Indian motifs and evenly utilize leaves,
flowers as well as geometrical shapes in their designs. In most of the
Asian countries, particularly India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, none of
the wedding is complete in the absence of bridal mehndi design on the
bride’s hands and feet. With the expansion of the wedding canvas
throughout the world, the application of mehndi designs have also gone
beyond the simple pattern and is now a huge affair that involves a lot
of time and a huge sum of money too. Some communities and customs also
require the bridegroom to apply mehndi on their hands and that has led
to the evolution of a different style of mehndi design for men.
Apart from the traditional use of mehndi, the Gen X today has started
using it as a short-term tattoo. Mehndi has gained popularity even
further because it stays on the skin for a limited period of 12 to 15
days and then fades gracefully. Since mehndi has all natural
ingredients, it is used to create all kinds of contemporary and
intricate ethnic tattoo that lasts only for a few days and suits the
mood and disposition of the new generation.
The mehndi tattoo earned a lot of name and fame from the day Madonna
displayed it on her palms in one of her popular music videos. Today,
specialized tattoo studios and tattoo artists are available all over the
world to help customers select the mehndi pattern of their personal
choices. However, from medical point of view, the African or the black
mehndi is generally considered avoidable, as it is clinically unsafe for
the skin.
Whether it is the most intricate pattern for the bride, the most
exotic design for the contemporary woman or the coolest tattoo for the
men folk, mehndi designs have now become an inseparable part of our
lives and have gained a global appeal.
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