What Do the Mehndi Designs Mean?

Though meanings and henna designs vary depending on the occasion and the type of celebration, mehndi stands for good luck and protection. Wedding mehndis will include patterns that symbolize fertility and love. Here’s a list of popular mehndi designs and their meanings:

•    bud – new life, love
•    camel lips – fertility
•    flowers and leafs – fertility
•    Ganesh, the elephant god – good health, protection from evil
•    growing vine or scorpion – love, protection from the evil eye
•    mandalas – wisdom, spiritual enlightenment
•    peacock, paisley symbols – love, fertility, good luck
One tradition in Asian contries is to hide the groom’s name or initials somewhere in the bridal mehndi designs. If he can’t find it, he has to give the bride a gift. It is also believed to mean that the bride will be the dominant one in the relationship.

Another belief is that the darker the bride’s mehendi, the more the mother-in-law will love her new daughter. A bride is also not expected to help with the household work until her wedding mehendi has faded. No wonder that some brides apply lemon juice to the fresh mehndi to make it come out darker and last longer

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