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Mahndi, Hand
Painting in India
Yook
Sook Park
from Korea
When I got married in India, I got my hands painted. This is a custom which is called Mahndi in the Indian language. I was so excited because it was the first time ever in my entire life that I had my hands painted. It took almost two hours to finish the painting. Prior to that, I had held a very stereotyped, negative opinion about body painting, but now my opinion has changed. I realize through my experience that body painting on special parts of the body can be very enjoyable.
According
to my mother-in-law, who is Indian, most brides in India
have their hands painted on their wedding eve. By doing
that, they follow an old Indian custom. It looks very nice
and makes the bride look more beautiful. Once painted, the
Mahndi, lasts typically for two weeks. If a young woman has
her hands painted. Indians
understand she has just gotten married and congratulate her
on her wedding.
Photo
from Yook Sook Park
A
pattern of red tints remains.
The
painting medium is a henna paste that is squeezed onto the
skin with an applicator that looks like a small pastry tube.
This leaves dark blue scrolls on the skin. They are left on
the skin until the design is set, usually overnight. Then it
is flaked away and leaves a stained pattern of red tints on
the skin. The red tints range from orange to deep red. The
designs that I got painted on my hands looked like ancient
patterns, leaves or flowers, but I don't know exactly what
the designs represented.
More
about weddings:
Celebrating
Weddings Around the World
| International
Wedding Customs
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