Ghidul 5 - Henna party 2

An idiot’s guide to an Indian wedding

4. Groom’s Mehendi

Well clearly this is the opposite of the Bride’s version. In this case though, the groom doesn’t get any henna on his hands!

Since it was hosted at our apartment. I expected to meet very pissed off neighbors the next day due to the loud noises.

Finally, the groom will receive his presents, from both his and the bride’s parents. His presents will be pale in comparison to the bride’s. Its quite normal for him to receive tons of wrist watches, clothes, money and so on.

There is also a special custom to give the groom’s mother a special present, maybe as a ‘thank God you’re done raising him!’ kind of present! This is usually clothes. By the end of the wedding, my mother estimated that she would not need to buy any new clothes for the next five years.
The groom’s sisters also gave him presents as well and maybe they threatened to show everyone his naked baby photos.

Sometime while all of this was happening, the bride’s cunning sisters (or cousins) will steal the groom’s shoes and hide them. In order to get them back, the groom must pay the girls whatever money is demanded. This is a very old Indian custom, aimed at bleeding the groom dry!
Women not involved in the stealing process busy themselves by creating a pattern of colored rice on the floor. Regular uncooked rice is dyed in various colors and then used to make a design. After the ceremony, this rice is washed to get rid of the color and then donated to a poor person.

Ghidul 4 - Henna party

Si iata-ne ajunsi, dragi prieteni, la partea cea mai frumoasa a unei ceremonii matrimoniale hinduse (dupa parerea mea desigur), ziua in care miresei i se aplica minunata hena :)

An idiot’s guide to an Indian wedding

3. Bride's Mehendi

Mehendi or Henna is a party thrown by the bride’s parents so that people can come get henna tattoos on their hands. Generally only women apply henna. The groom’s family is also invited, although, we will not get any henna.

Tradition says that the darker the henna on the bride’s hands, the more her husband loves her. I’ve seen bride’s employ all kinds of crazy methods to darken the henna, from eucalyptus oil to even pain-relieving ointments!

The only reason we (the groom’s sisters) were there was to give the bride all her presents from her mother-in-law. This huge bag included dozens of pairs of traditional Indian clothing, massive amounts of gold jewelery, shoes, bags, makeup stuff, and even irrelevant things like handkerchiefs.

If I ever decide to get married, it will only be because the above-mentioned bag lures me.

Both sets of families exchange presents. These could be anything ranging from watches, to perfume, or even gold! Normally it’s clothing. But we were incredibly lucky, because besides the clothes, we got a little travel kit and we each received Coach bags!

Although this party is aimed at women (due to the henna), lots of men are invited as well. You see, the women get henna on both their hands, and they cannot touch anything until the henna dries. The men are invited so that they can do all the work, such as feed the women.