Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures Biography

source(google.com.pk)
Arranged marriages in Pakistan often take long periods of time to finalize. The time from preparation until wedding day may be more than a year. When the wedding date approaches, all close relatives are invited for a typical Pakistani wedding that requires a considerable budget in order to accommodate them. In some cases, wedding dates are even postponed until the important relatives are able to arrive to the location of the reception from abroad. The wedding customs and celebrations also differ significantly depending on the geographical location as well as the families involved. However, a typical Pakistani wedding has at least three main customs involving the Henna ceremony (Rasme Henna), the vows or the Nikah which is a part of the actual wedding or Shaadi ceremony, and a subsequent Walima offered by the groom's family.A proposal party is a reception held at the bride's house, where the groom's parents and family elders formally ask the bride's parents for her hand in marriage. In religious families, once the wedding proposal is accepted, the families read Surah Al-Fatihah, and then tea and refreshments are served. Depending on individual family traditions, the bride-to-be may also be presented with an item of jewelry and a variety of gifts.
Further information: Engagement
An engagement نِسبت is a formal ceremony to mark the engagement of the couple.[3][4] It is usually a small ceremony that takes place in the presence of a few close members of would-be bride's and groom’s families. Rings and other items of jewelry among affluent families are exchanged between the would-be bride and groom. Traditionally, the bride and the groom were not seated together, and the rings are placed on the bride's finger by the groom's mother or sister, and vice versa. In recent years, however, segregated functions have become a rarity and rings are usually exchanged between the couple. Prayer and blessings for the couple are then recited, and the wedding date is decided.The Dholki or Dholak (Urdu: ڈھولکی‎) celebration takes its name from the percussion instrument Dholki, which is featured heavily during this wedding celebration. Traditionally, many days or even weeks before the actual wedding day, women will gather in the house of the bride at night to sing and dance while accompanied by percussion instruments. Today, this ceremony has also been reduced to a single night of singing and is often combined with Mehndi or Henna ceremony.
A Maayun Bithana ماﺌيوں بِٹهانا, is the custom of the bride entering into a state of seclusion before the wedding. In earlier centuries this would last eight to fifteen days, which, being no longer practicable, last now for a night. The bride and the bridegroom are made free of all the chores and errands around the house and are not allowed to see each other after the initiation of the period. Additionally, the bride is not allowed to leave the house, particularly after sunset. Traditional beautification rituals take place during this time.
Ubtan turmeric paste, sandalwood powder, herbs, and aromatic oils are traditionally brought by the women of the groom's household for the bride. During the Maayun ceremonies, the elder females of the groom's family bless the bride and “ubtan’ is applied to her hands and face. The Groom's sister(s) also does the same, and a thick string called a “gana” is tied to the bride’s arm. “Ubtan” is applied to the bride's skin each day leading up to the wedding. Similar ceremonies can be held for the groom, where bride's mother, sisters, cousins and friends bring “ubtan” for groom and rub it on his skin.
The ceremony is often brought to a close by the members of the household playing a game by the same name, Ubtan, whereby it is brought in huge trays and the powder is thrown at each.
Mehndi (Urdu: مہندی‎), the Henna ceremony, or the Rasm-e-henna ceremony, typically takes place one or two days prior to the main wedding day. The event is traditionally held separately for the bride and the groom. The henna is symbolically placed on the couple's hands. The groom's friends and family bring along sweets and henna for the bride, and the bride's family does the same for the groom. In the bride's ceremony, the groom normally does not participate, and similarly on the groom's event, the bride stays at home. Female guests are sometimes offered mehndi at the host's discretion.
Traditionally, since there were separate functions for both the bride and the groom, the groom's function was called 'Tael' (oil) where female guests put some oil into the groom's hair. With the ceremony now held simultaneously for both the groom and the bride, the use of the term 'tael' has diminished greatly. In some cases, the entire ceremony is instead referred to as "Tael Mehndi" (Oil and Henna) ceremony.
The bride normally wears a green dress or yellows/orange for the Henna celebration and uses only light, or mostly, no make-up. The groom will typically wear a casual Shalwar Qameez. The bride and/or the groom are brought forward in the ceremony under a decorative dupatta by their close relatives. In the bridal ceremony, a certain number of married women who are closely related to the bride apply henna to her hands, and feed her sweets. This ritual is supposed to bring good luck and longevity to the bride's married life. Similarly, on the groom's side, oil is applied to his head and sweets are fed to the groom.
A song competition also occurs in the Rasme Henna or Mehndi celebrations between the bride and groom's side. Young women and men will sing teasing songs about the other side (where the bride's side pokes good natured fun at the groom's side and vice versa) and try to compete in this ritual sing song. Sometimes elaborate musical and acting performances are part of the Mehndi celebrations. Elaborate dance sequences and competitions between the bride and groom's families are also quite common these days.
Traditionally, the Mehendi was considered a women's event and men did not participate in it. The sing song etc. was left almost entirely to women. However, this has changed substantially in recent times with males featuring prominently in the Mehndi celebrations as well. A recent trend gaining popularity is to announce a color theme for the mehendi whereby guests are supposed to dress up in a particular color. Commonly used colors are bright reds, oranges and yellows. In some communities, the groom's mehndi traditionally features a dress code of green while the bride's requires yellow.

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures

Mehndi Pictures