Naushaba recently wrote a blog on mehndi and explained about this traditional painting of intricate designs on hands and feet before a bride becomes married.  I was thinking many here are non-Inian and might not be familiar with this beautiful art form of mehndi and wanted to share some photos or video of this. During the events leading to the actual wedding days female family members and friends of the bride gather for an evening having henna put on. For the bride the mehndi (henna) day is very important. The bride usually has an eleborate designs on both hands and feet and and the friends and family can choose to have simpler designs put on as well. Te henna is painted on to the hands and feet, this can take 1 or 2 hours depending on the design. Then it is allowed to dry. A solution is placed on the henna to help maintain the design longer. Then the excess is scraped off. There is a saying that if the henna fades quickly before the wedding morning - the bride will not get along with the mother-in-law. There is much laughing and jesting about this by the bride’s friends. It is a fun tradition and I love mehndi. I have attended many weddings in India and have mehndi done. I remember one particular wedding in Jaipur where I had quite elaborate mehndi done. A few days latter I had to fly to London. It was so funny when I checked in to the hotel the chap at the desk jumped back when he saw my hands. Guess he thought it was a disease. Mehndi, is also applied to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Pakistan, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The custom of Mehndi is also popular in Morocco and has even become a fashion statement in the West.