I saw the movie for the first time when I took a womens studies coarse in college. If you haven't seen Monsoon Wedding I recommend it. I remember the vibrant colors, infectious music and beautiful henna.
I love that Indian brides marry in vibrant red dress and ablaze with bling. It's so bright and joyous. I envy their 3day parties although I know I don't have the stamina.
I think a wedding is a serious commitment, but than have a serious party. I love all the tradition and family togetherness. Part of all the partying is the Mehndi party. It's kind of like a bridal shower. All the women get together with the bride and that's when they put on her henna. It's an ancient tradition that is supposed to help release the soul's inner light. I'm not quite sure how plant dye on your hands and feet does that, but what a beautiful thought.
"Depending on family traditions, some brides have their husband's initials hidden in the designs, and the couple is not considered officially married until the groom finds them. I've also heard that as long as the henna remains on the bride's skin, she doesn't have to perform any wifely duties (like washing the dishes and doing the laundry). Too bad henna only lasts less than a month." (fitsugar.com) Sounds good to me and I'm not the only one. American brides have adopted henna as part of their wedding festivities.
It's even beautiful in white. I like this one too.
I, like the bride fitsugar talked about, am not a bar hopper. I never was. Bad balance plus drunk equals bad plan. Plus, it's expensive and I have plenty of fun without it. So, I'm planning a sleep over for my bachlorette party with henna tattoos. I want to get them palm side only so they're not distracting in photos a week later. I love the idea of a night of girlyness borrowing from the Mendhi tradition so much party than a drunken night on the town.
