MEHNDI : मेहँदी / ‫مہندی‬
Pregnancy: During pregnancy, numer-
Historic evidence suggests that
the culture of Mehndi dates back
to the twelfth century in India. It
was used for its cosmetic and
healing purposes. It is a tempo-
rary staining of the skin which is
used for decorative means dur-
ing celebrations such as mar-
riages, Diwali, Eid and many
other holistic festivals, which oc-
cur in these modern times.
Mehndi or Henna designs are
known as temporary tattoos in
the western world. Mehndi aids
in others learning about Indian
traditions and heritages.
BIRTH CEREMONIES : HINDUISM :
CULTURES &
-ous ceremonies are performed in order
to ensure the good health of the mother CUSTOMS
and baby.
Birth: At birth when the umbical cord
is cut, a golden spoon is held to the lips
of the child and the work ‘vak’ (speech)
is whispered in the ear, three times.
Infancy: Many rituals are performed at
each important stage of the child’s life
such as their first temple visit, first hair-
cuts, the first time being fed solid food
and the ear-piercing ceremony.
FUNERAL CUSTOMS :
Hindu’s believe that their deceased
should be cremated. The male family
members of the deceased take charge of
the final rights and often after the fu-
neral, they proceed to shaving the hair. LIFE
Everyone who attended the funeral goes
to have a purifying bath before returning
ORIENTATION
to cook a meal to share with the less for- PAMPHLET
tunate. The remains and ashes of the de-
ceased are collected and thereafter im-
mersed in a holy river. Mikhila Daya 9E
 HINDUISM : CULTURES AND CUSTOMS
WHAT IS
HINDUISM?
HINDUISM, a way of life,
rather than a religion is often re-
ferred to as ‘SANATANA
DHARMA’, which in translation
from Sanskrit to English, means
‘THE ETERNAL LAW’. Hindu-
ism is made up of a combination
of various traditions and has no
single founder. It is often called
‘The oldest living religion’, and
the worshipers of Hinduism are
found throughout India and its
surrounding nations, yet with the
urbanization of today, Hinduism
is found world-wide.
WEDDING
CUSTOMS:
The holy date and time of the
union of the couple is given after con-
sultation with the astrologer. The
BRIDEGROOM is represented as the
GOD and the BRIDE is represented as
the GODDESS. The bride is adorned in
the richest of colours and the finest
jewelry. Her hands are decorated with
Mehndi and her husband’s name is
hidden in the designs for him to find,
this is a game played to test if the
groom’s love for her is true.
The bridegroom is adorned in his
finest kurtha’ (suit) and tradition-
ally arrives on a white horse or in a
lavish car, which also symbolizes
the price coming to wed his be-
loved princess. The couple take
seven steps in the northerly direc-
tion which each symbolize a vow
regarding their marital life and of-
fer certain things into a sacred fire.
Rituals and other various ceremo-
nies are performed according to the
traditions and backgrounds of the
involved families.
Mikhila Daya 9E