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It is a custom for the ladies to gather together and have a Mehendi Party and all get the
Mehendhi tattoos prior to the wedding. It's kind of a good luck thing and we are peacocks
at heart, decorating ourselves to outshine even that most beautiful bird.
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The Mehendhi artist arrived about an hour before all the ladies and prepared a mix of henna powder and
eucalyptus oil, both considered to be quite beneficial for the skin. The paste was then packed into dozens of palm
length narrow 'pastry' tubes.
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He, in this case, I've had it done by women too, rubs eucalyptus oil onto the forearm and hands prior
to applying the designs. Designs are freehand and flowing. A peacock head might be drawn with
whorls and lacy designs morphing off of that. Some artists start with a paisley designs and elaborate
from there. It's up to the mood of the artist. There doesn't seem to be any particular symbolism
attached to the designs, it's just body art, pure and simple.
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My design started about mid-forearm and worked down to cover hand, palm and back and fingers as well.
It took him about an hour to do the designs. He asked if I wanted my feet done as well, also traditional
at a wedding, especially for the bride, but not really necessary. I declined. After taking a full
hour to have this rather cold, clammy goop drawn on my arm and then having the arms and hands doused
with a lemon juice and sugar "setting" solution and then not being able to touch anything for the next
two hours (meaning hands are held in the air), with frequent reswabbing with the lemon juice and sugar
mix, I definitely did not want my feet done and thus rendered immobile as well.
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Food is a part of any Indian gathering and this one featured a favorite of mine, mukkee ke roti and sag
(corn flour chappatis and a spinach/mustard green puree with lots of butter). So...here's supper and
we can't touch anything. The husbands make a big deal of teasing their wives at this point, charging
by the bite as we are fed like little babies. Raj charged Rs 100 a mouthful. That wasn't too bad,
about two bucks American a bite. Then it occurred to me, as I sat sipping yet another cup of tea,
that there was one other thing I was going to need help with if I didn't stop downing that tea.
'Himself' informed me that the going rate for 'that' little service was a tad steeper than for merely
feeding me, a Crore of Rupees (10,000,000 rupees). I abstained from more tea.
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After the two hours was completed it was time to remove the dried paste. The back side of a butter
knife was used to scrape off as much as possible. This takes a good half hour or so and makes a
thorough mess. Then the rest of the paste (and the sugar solution) was rubbed off with more
eucalyptus oil. Now, the oil makes the design set even more but it can't replace soap and water
for getting sugar slime off the skin. Unfortunately, one does not use soap and water until the next
day. In warm weather this whole process was kind of fun. During the cool winter evening it was a
rather more dubious pleasure. However, I have met the peacock and I is he! Was it worth it? Of
course yes...but another cup of tea would have totally done me in.
Voila!
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Mehendhi, a temporary tattoo lasting from 2 to 3 weeks, made of a henna and eucalyptus oil paste.
