I absolutely love finding ways to share cultural rich traditions with you every Tuesday. While it’s hard innovative ways to share traditions in a new way, I am excited to share this pictorial layout from Saudi Arabia’s freelance photographer Nidal M. He recently created a series of post on Pakistani weddings. We are hoping to share the entire series with you here as well, but for now, check out his work on Mehndi!

This is a continuation of my series of posts on Pakistani weddings. Check out Courtship and Marriage in Pakistan and The Dholki and Mayoon for the first two parts!

Ah, the beautiful night of Mehndi. Colors, clothes, rasms, all blend to make this easily the most cultural night at Pakistani marriages. It is usually held a day or two before the actual wedding and this being the first time the groom and bride’s sides of the family see each other, all about competition!

The term Mehndi itself is the Urdu/Hindi word for Henna, and the event itself is sometimes called Rasm-e-Henna. Traditionally the Mehndi was held separately for the bride and the groom, however in more recent times, the couples’ families will hold a joint function for all the guests of the weddings.

The Mehndi is also usually the first time the extended families of the bride and groom will get to see each other. It’s really quite interesting to see utter strangers on the Mehndi turn into family by the end of the third day and as you may see, the different rasms (customs) help promote this interaction in a traditionally closed society.

The term Mehndi comes from the intricate henna tattoos Pakistani and Indian women draw on their hands for celebrations. While henna is not restricted to weddings (It’s also done for Eids and other happy occasions), those done for the bride in weddings are decidedly special.

The joint event will usually take place in a wedding hall or a specially made tent. The recent trend is for families to announce color and clothes themes for each of the wedding functions. This time around, it was ‘kurta shalwaars’ with red ‘dupattas’ draped across the neck. Dupattas are usually a female garment and celebratory events (and technically JUST weddings) are the only times you’ll see them worn by men. As you will see later, they help in dancing!

Music is a central aspect of Mehndis and live music will sometimes be provided for guests. The ‘tabla’ pictured here is a traditional percussion instrument, similar the ‘dhol’ seen earlier. With several tablas in front of them, each of them producing different notes depending on where they are hit, tablas require considerable skill to play!

The bride’s guests will usually arrive at the venue first, and make preparations for the groom. Since the concept at South Asian weddings is “The groom’s side comes to take the bride away”, before the Walima, all the events are held as if hosted by the bride’s.

Yellow is the predominant color at the Mehndi, and yellow flowers and drapes are usually used to adorn the stage on which the bride and groom will be ‘displayed’; and where bored photographers will choose to go all Shakespearean and dramatic

At the predetermined time (+30min, since when is anything in Pakistan on time ;P) the groom’s side will arrive together in a procession, bearing gifts of flowers, sweets, bangles and trays of henna with candles.

The brides’ side’s reception is equally warm! Close relatives will stand at the gate to welcome the groom’s family with flowers and smiles : )

Flower petals are thrown at the groom’s guests as they enter, and flower necklaces are given to the close family. Understandably, this is a very traumatic experience as the next 15min are spent picking out petals from hair and clothes ;P Why do we still do this again?

All the gifts, from both the bride’s and groom’s sides are placed in front of the stage, to display to everyone present. Colorful isn’t it? Careful though! Can anyone say fire hazard? *nods*

Check out the rest of the post here.