Being a bride is a phenomenal experience for an Indian or an Arabic woman. The bride is adorned with apparels and accessories that sizzle and shine like no other. However, unlike other weddings where the dresses and the jewelry take the center stage, the Indian bride can also apply Mehendi or Henna for an extraordinary look. Among heena designs, Arabic mehendi designs are quite a craze among the younger lot.
What is Henna?
Henna is a shrub that grows widely in hot and dry climates. The plant yields extremely subtle flowers which are then extracted for its strong fragrance. The Henna flower has been used to make perfumes since the olden days. Not only the flower but the leaves of the Henna plant are also used by drying and then grinding them into a fine powder. The powder is then added to a paste which also combines natural ingredients.
The goodness of Henna is aplenty. It is antiseptic and works brilliantly as an astringent. Because of its freshening capacities it also works as a cooling agent.
The henna paste is also used to color the hair and decorate the body. This is a thousand year old tradition and people from the world over, such as India, Africa and the Middle East have infused this subtle but beautiful technique of body decoration with auspicious and celebratory times.
Following the tradition, the paste is applied directly to the skin by using a smooth and fine tipped applicator. The paste is responsible for the burgundy stains that embellish the hands and feet of women for many thousands of years now.
Application of Henna
Natural Henna has a pace of its own. Hand-made Henna paste requires at least 6 hours of resting and stirring. This is required for the dye to be ready to color the skin. Next, it is strained off the bigger fibers. This makes it smoother and silkier. After being transferred to hand-rolled Henna cone applicators, beautiful henna designs are applied. As a beginner one should choose easy henna designs to start and then go for complex designs. It is usually done free-hand with skills and patience which gives the design the ultimate grace. The paste is usually removed after 4-6 hours after the application. Remember that once it is removed, the paste might take up to 3 days for the orange tinge to develop and become darker.
Make sure that you don’t use water too often during this period. This will ensure that color will become an attractive shade of dark brown/ burgundy.
The Essence of Henna During Wedding Ceremonies
It is believed that the name of the bridegroom is infused in the beautiful Henna designs for the husband-to-be to find. This is to test his ability to find things in the middle of clutter and his quickness which he uses to impress his woman.
Henna mehendi designs are applied as one of the most important pre-wedding ceremonies. While the bride applies it on her hands and feet, a little known fact is that the bridegroom also applies it on his hands as a token.
Henna Mehendi designs are the significance of love and strength in a marriage. It is strongly believed that the darker the color of the Mehendi is, the stronger will be the bond between the couple to be married. Tradition says that the first motif of Mehendi ideally should be applied by the mother-in-law of the bride, at the center of her palm.
Mehendi beautifies the parts of the bride’s body. It signifies the fact the she will be transforming from a virgin girl to a temptress. The fragrance of the paste adds to the exoticness of the ambience. Taking a note from Hindu mythology, Goddess Parvati used to apply Mehendi to thrill her husband Lord Shiva.
The ‘beauty of the woman’s creativity’ is captured perfectly in the Hindi word ‘Shringar’ and Mehendi is one of the most definitive ways the Indian bride can express hers. She expresses the power of beauty beneath the surface of her skin using Henna. ‘The Solah Shringar’ defines Mehendi as one of these decorations. The Kama Sutra also lists Henna tattooing as a part of the 64 arts performed by women.
In addition to the Mehendi celebrations, the ladies Sangeet can also be performed while applying Henna. The women sing traditional songs and mock the bride with playful lyrics aiming at her fiancé and her in-laws, while the Mehendi artist creates her art on the bride’s hands and feet.
Rise of the Arabic Henna Designs
Not all the brides want the traditional look though. Working women these days prefer Arabic Henna designs for their wedding ceremonies simply because the Arabic Henna Designs for hands are chic, stylish and very attractive to look at. Not only that, but these designs are quite simple and quick to draw when compared to the more traditional set of designs.
The Arabic Henna designs consist of unique floral artwork shown in a free-flowing structure. The floral shapes come in a distinctive geometric pattern that covers a majority of the hand or foot. A more modern take on these beautiful Henna designs includes a combination of the conventional middle-eastern artwork with a contemporary tapestry twist. These Henna Mehendi designs are all about making a statement and adding an extra point to the exotic feel of the wedding. Not to mention that these easy Henna designs enhance the effect of the lehenga or the jewelry donned by the bride.
Thus we bring to you a collection of Arabic Henna Designs. These include both Henna designs for the hands and Henna designs for the feet. Not to mention the designs are simple, elegant and attract the attention of every on-looker.
Top 10 Arabic Henna Designs for the Hands
Flower Motifs:
All Arabic Henna Designs more or less draw from the free-flowing flower shapes. In this particular design, one can create simple flower motifs to fill the palm. Start with the index finger. Make a few half angular shaped flowers. Finish off the design with fuller flowers. The best bit about this particular design is that the flowers can be drawn bigger or smaller in size and shape according the shape of the palm.
Arabic Henna Designs With Shining Stones
This particular Arabic Henna Design is full of swirls shaped like the rising Sun. To give it the ultimate modern twist, one can use attractive glitter, beads and stones which match with the outfit and/or jewelry. Notice that double or triple layers of coating have been used in this Henna Design to make it look more chic. Include sparkles to be used as a final coating to make the design more attractive. It makes the easy designs look more beautiful and catchier.
Arabic Henna Designs With a Desi Touch
This beautiful Henna design is traditional and elegant. It focuses on fine work. The main motif is of course the Mango. It draws the Mango, detailing the petals and the closed swirls. This Henna design for the hands not only fills the palm but also fills the hand itself. However, the design also has an Indian touch to the modern artwork.
Pretty Peacock Arabic Henna Designs
Taking a cue from the Indian style of keeping the Peacock as its main focus, this Henna hand design is intricately done and when finished drawing carefully, can look absolutely stunning. Start with a pretty Peacock at the center of your palm. Decorate it with as many flowers as you can. In the Henna hand design, there are many minute motifs and trails. This Arabic Henna design isn’t very difficult to replicate. Just make sure that there are plenty of swirls and flowers to give this design the distinctive ornamental look.
Peacock Pattern Arabic Henna Designs
This is surely one of our best picks from the Bridal Henna design collection. It starts with covering the finger tips completely. It is then followed by charming Peacocks, flower and leaf motifs. It also includes a few small geometric shapes. They’re in a filled shape so that they can provide a base in the palm which is later filled by other motifs. A very interesting factor about the Arabic Henna design is that they vouch for the minute detailing style. This gives the easy Henna design a different touch. The use of several Peacock faces in this Henna Hand design gives it a lavish look.
Bangle Style Arabic Henna Designs
If you want to try something out of the box then we highly recommend this Arabic Henna design. It has an invented heart pattern and multiple net patterns with small flower motifs. This makes it look very different from other Henna hand designs. Again, the focus should always, always be on the intricate and minute details. This might be a bit difficult to draw, especially for first timers but once completed perfectly, it guarantees that it’ll look stunning on the bride-to-be.
This easy Henna design is a guaranteed hit not only during the wedding ceremony but also for the after parties. The essence of the design lies in three elements, one that resembles a bracelet on the wrist, the elaborate paisley design on the back of the hands and the ring designs on the fingers. It also has detailed semi-circular and floral motifs. The specialty about this Arabic Henna design is that it resembles jewelry worn on the hands.
This Arabic Henna design is the perfect example of bridal artwork that is sure to take the breath away of the on-lookers. Complete with complex and delicate patterns and minute details, the design is quite unique and is a guaranteed hit at the wedding party. Another unique aspect of this design is that the finger tips are open instead of being filled.
Love full hand patterns? Then this Arabic Henna design is the one for you. This design is most suitable for longer palms. The tips are tinged with dark Mehendi and the pattern fills up the entire hands. It also extends beyond the wrist. The perfect choice for the perfect bride!
Multicolor Arabic Henna Designs
In Arab, black Mehendi is used to create more contrast in the design. It is also used to outline the designs which make the Henna hand design look more colorful. This multi-colored and multi-layered Arabic Henna design is quite funky. It can be stylized by using accessories like glitter, rings, stones and bangles. The red filling and the black border puts more importance on the skin color making it look fairer.
Top 5 Arabic Henna Designs for the Feet
Intricate Arabic Henna designs are not only for the hands but are also for your feet. This particular Henna design for the feet comes complete with subtle details and covers the entire feet and your legs. The diagonal lace motifs and the floral motifs make it stand out from the rest and generate a lot of attention towards your feet.
A fairly simple design which has large motifs! Three Hibiscus flowers with minimum swirls around them make this design a great choice. It is apt for wedding ceremonies, Eid and any other celebratory occasions.
This design uses the reflection pattern to put more contrast. Shaded flowers and leaves run along the sides of the legs and reaches till the nails. The shading helps in adding more depth and makes the petals more natural looking.
Henna designs for the feet can be as elaborate as you want it to be. This design comes loaded with small motifs and intense detailing making the pattern look like anklets or any other ornaments. But make sure you use the right color of nail polish so the Mehendi looks absolutely stunning!
Again, a delicate design for those who have small feet! You can flaunt this design at any function, be it your wedding or your friend’s. Along with detailed flower petals you can also wear a stoned embroidered payal and/or a toe ring. This gives it the unmistakable Bollywood touch!
There you have it ladies. Try these stunning Arabic Henna designs and turn those heads at the wedding. Don’t forget to let us know of your experiences on your special day. We just love to hear from you!
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