Haldi Ceremony (Preparing the bride and groom with sacred turmeric)
Approximate Time: 1 hour, afternoon of Friday May 27 at 11:30am
Recommended Dress code: Casuals
The Haldi ceremony is like an ancient Indian spa ritual. Except instead of a soothing, relaxing ambience, you have friends and relatives singing and dancing around you!
In this ceremony the family members attempt to 'beautify' the bride and groom by applying a paste of turmeric (Haldi) on their face, hands and feet. The turmeric applied is known to improve one's complexion and is applied seven times on the body from bottom to top and then top to bottom. During the ceremony, kangana or sacred thread, is tied on the right wrists of the bride and groom. The kangana is a red thread strung through an iron chaaku (small iron knife for protection), turmeric sticks, supari (areca nut, but commonly known as betel nut) and kaudis (shells). These are all symbols of good luck, to protect the bride and the groom from the evil eye, so that the wedding happens without any obstacles
Mehendi Ceremony (The Henna Ceremony) Approximate Time: 2 hours, afternoon/evening May 27 at 2-4pm Recommended Dress Code: Comfortable Indian or Western clothes
Mehendi is one of India's most fashionable exports to the world. In India, mehendi has been prevalent since ages past and is an integral part of the wedding ceremony. Traditionally it is supposed to be one of the sixteen adornments decorating a bride without which her beauty is said to be incomplete. Nowadays, while no one will berate a bride for not having mehendi, it still remains a favourite, and bridal mehendi is very elaborate and intricate. According to popular belief the darker the colour of her mehendi, the more her husband will love her. At the ceremony, in addition to the bride, all the women from the bride and groom's side also flock around the mehendi artist to get their palms decorated. You’ll want to wear comfortable clothes and have a date handy as well, since you won't have the use of your hands until the mehendi dries! |