Mehndi Ceremony

My mehndi ceremony will be celebrated on Wednesday 5^th August 2015 and is a chance for my family and close girl friends to celebrate before the wedding takes place. I thought it might be a good idea to explain the order that the ceremonies happen so you know what to expect as I have had a few questions about what actually happens!

Ghadi ceremony

This is the ceremony where two children will hold a special decorated vessel containing holy water on top of their heads.  They will then be welcomed by my mum who will shower them with rice and place a sweet in their mouth.  They will then hand over the Ghadi to my mum and receive a small gift in return.

Mandhvo/Pineapple ceremony

Four men, which in my case will be my four uncles, will place pineapples in the four corners of the room. This is meant as a symbol of protection from evil no matter where I may go. One by one they will symbolically undertake an understanding that they will protect me from harm. 

Sathiyo

A heart symbol will be made out of coloured rice, and a sopari (nut) will be placed in each of the hearts.  These will be made under two chairs that Mike and I will sit on to symbolise, peace, love and harmony. 

Ponkhva Ceremony

Mike and I will be brought into the room under a protective shawl known as a bandani.  This will be held by my four bridesmaids.  We will then take a seat on the chairs on top of the hearts that were made with the rice.

This ceremony is all about bestowing blessings on us.

My mother will place a “chandlo” (a dot) on our foreheads to represent good luck.

The holy water from the ghadi will be placed on our feet

Coloured rice will then be thrown over us three times to symbolise blessing us with happiness.

Finally (the best bit!), a sweet is placed in our mouths to wish us sweetness in life

Guests can participate in this ceremony and get involved feeding us and throwing rice over us!

Credit: IndianWeddings.com

Saapatia

This is all centred around 2 small decorative covered clay pots. They are filled with:

Lentils – symbolising abundance and nature’s bounty

Silver – symbolising wealth

Sugar – symbolising sweetness and harmony

Turmeric – symbolising good health

These saapatias are placed in front of Mike and I and we must break them by stepping on them. It is said that the first person to break the sapatia will rule the house so get cheering!

Lunch will then be served after this ceremony has taken place

Mehndi

This will involve me having henna applied onto my hands and legs.  This symbolises happiness, prosperity, love and strength in marriage. Mike’s initials will be hidden inside my mehndi design.  I will keep the mehndi on my hands and legs overnight to ensure the colour has time to develop.  Legend has it that the “darker the mehndi the deeper the love".    Until my mehndi disappears I will also be excused from doing any household chores. (The MOST important point - I will be up in the middle of the night re-applying it!!)

Credit: pinklotusevents.files.wordpress.com

Female guests will then have the opportunity to have mehndi applied to one of their hands if they would like it.

I hope this explains some of what you might see :-)

Nadia x