Henna 18th October, 2008  Save as Bookmark  Send this Page to Friend. Karva Chauth Home   Henna   Karva Chauth Greetings   Karva Chauth Recipes   Karva Chauth Rituals   Karva Chauth Traditions   Origin & Significance   Henna or Mehndi is considered to be auspicious for married women, and is a necessary part of the Karva Chauth ritual. It is believed that married woman who get dark color from mehendi will get a loads of love and caring from her groom. It also denotes prosperity and good luck. It symbolically says as the henna gives away her color to beautify someones hands, the married woman should also be generous and kind to give up certain things to beautify the life ahead of her. Women get intricate henna designs applied on their hands before they get down to the actual rituals. Most traditional henna patterns are based on very simple shapes - circles, triangles and lines are the most basic. These shapes can be combined to create a very intricate pattern and a very beautiful henna designs on the palm and feet of married women. Before actually applying the henna, the designers outline the pattern or design in their mind. There are several ways to do this.     To apply Henna, the most favorite tool among the users is a cone made of rolled plastic, similar to a cake decorating tube, with a tiny hole at the end. With the help of cone one can make incredibly fine lines and detailed designs. Mehndi also comes ready-made in tubes; these containers provide an easy method method of mehndi application, but often henna in these forms will lack a smooth consistency, and most professional artists avoid ready-made pastes because it is impossible to discern ingredients added. More simpler but more wasteful method of applying mehndi is to put a stencil that is hand-shaped over the hand and spreading the henna paste over the entire stencil. The extra tools in mehndi application include fine needles and toothpicks, which can be essential in fixing lines or lifting and moving a line, or picking up stray mehndi, and thin sewing pins that are useful to unclog the hole in the mehndi cone.     The Steps To Apply Mehndi Make a smooth henna paste by sifting the dry henna powder to remove any debris and adding to it a hot mixture of tea or coffee and mustard oil until it has a mud-like firmness. After the paste is ready take a plastic cone with a very fine key-hole at the end. Pour the paste into the cone and tie the broader end with a rubber band. Hold the cone in the right hand and gently squeeze the paste on the palm and start making patterns Keep the palm horizontal and let the patterned-paste rest on it till dry. Warm it near the fire and leave it on for as long as it takes to get the stains deeper. When it is almost dry, dab a piece of cotton in sugar and lemon solution and apply lightly on the designs so it further darkens to a reddish-brown hue that can last for weeks. After 2-4 hours wash off the hands with plain water.