Mehndi (also called Mehandi) is the traditional art of painting the hands, feet or body with a paste made from the powdered, dried leaves of the henna plant (Botanical name : Lawsonia Inermis).This tree is also known as Henna in Arabic.
The young leaves and twigs are ground into fine powder, then mixed with water and applied on the hands, feet and hair to give them a reddish-orange
It stain's a usually cherry-red to brown colour but this can vary with time left on and a range of other factors.
Coffee, lemon, tea, and essential oils are sometimes added for texture, smell or to help the stain.
Henna was first applied as a means to cool down the body. A dot was applied to the palm of the hands and helped to cool the body. After becoming bored with the look of the single dot on the palm, the early users of henna began to add lines and other shapes. Eventually this elaboration became the beautiful designs we see today.
Mehndi is typically applied during special occasions like ,special occasions and festivals like Diwali, Bhaidooj, Teej and Eid