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Mehendi (mendi, menhdi) a tropical shrub (lawsania
inermis, henna) having small pink, red or white flowers; reddish dye
from its shoots and leaves, especially used to colour hair, palms and
fingers. As a beautification media, mehendi was in existence from ancient
times. In Sanskrit texts, mendhika, appears both as a dyeing as
well as a medicinal shrub. In the works of Kalidas, mehendi has been mentioned
as a garden beauty and a fencing shrub. The Arabs were, and still are,
particularly fond of mehendi. In Bengal and now in Bangladesh, mehendi
has been always very popular.
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A mehendi shrub |
Mehendi paste & A Mehendi pattern |
Mehendi is widely used as a hair dyeing agent. Children,
men and women decorate their hands and fingers with colourful patterns
of mehendi dye during Eids and Pujas, marriages and other religious and
social festivals. Immediately before any festival, the ritual of mehendi
decoration begins. On the eve of the marriage ceremony brides are given
a special bath preceded by decorating her fingers, hands and limbs with
mehendi colours.
In normal social and religious ceremonies, mothers and
sisters make a paste of the mehendi leaves at home and all the members
of the family, particularly females, get together and assist each other
in decorating their hands, and often feet, with manifold designs and patterns.
Now processed mehendi paste and mehendi decoration molds are available
commercially. It has become so popular now that organised competitions
among the mehendi designers are occasionally held drawing considerable
numbers of spectators of all ages and ranks. [Asha Islam]
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