Nalangu and Mehendi - Beautifying the bride

My first weekend in South Africa was filled with celebration.  I attended a Christian/Hindu wedding.  My aunt Julie's niece, who is an Indian Hindu, married an Afrikaans man. (The Afrikaner people descended from predominantly Dutch settlers who first arrived in South Africa during the 17th and 18th centuries.)

The weekend consisted of both traditional Christian and Hindu ceremonial activities.  The activities started with a function called Nalangu.  The Nalangu is a ceremony of cleansing for the bride.  The bride-to-be sits next to her brother; Julie's niece did not have a brother so a boy cousin sat next to her. Women come forward and rub turmeric paste on the bride-to-be.  It is rubbed on her face, arms, hands, and legs.  The turmeric is suppose to help provide her skin with a glow for her wedding and is a cleansing paste, taking out toxins in her skin.  The ladies also sprinkle oil on the bride's head and place flowers in her hair.

This is a picture of Julie's niece, Serisha, at the Nalangu.  The yellow you see on her face is the turmeric.

After the ladies adorn the bride-to-be with the turmeric paste, flowers and oil, the bride awards the ladies with little gifts.  Serisha presented each lady with a betel nut and leaf.  The betel nut and leave is offered as a sign of respect toward that person.

Once the Nalangu was completed, a final blessing was given to Serisha and then a lunch was served to all of the guests.  After lunch, the Mehendi took place.  At the mehendi ceremony, the bride has her hands and feet intricately patterned with a paste of henna, oil, lemon juice and tea. The application of mehendi or henna takes about four hours to complete. The bride should not wash her hands until the paste has completely dried. Female friends and relatives also apply mehendi to their hands. Mehendi signifies the strength of love in a marriage. It is believed, the darker the mehendi, the stronger the love.

Mehendi was applied to my hand.  This picture was taken right after it was applied and is still wet.  Once it dried, the darker color flaked off and it turned brownish in color.  It is suppose to stay on for about two weeks.

Witnessing both the Nalangu and the Mehendi rituals was a fascinating experience for me.  I felt very honored, grateful, and blessed to be included in the festivities.