Mehndi 

is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration in India, Pakistan,Nepal and Bangladesh as well as by expatriate communities from those countries. The wordmehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā.^[1] The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Hinduism's Vedic ritual books. Haldi(Staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are Vedic customs, intended to be a symbolic representation of the outer and the inner sun. Vedic customs are centered around the idea of "awakening the inner light".

Traditional indian designs are of representations of the sun on the palm, which, in this context, is intended to represent the hands and feet.

Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are sometimes called henna tattoos. Henna is typically applied during special occasions likeweddings and Muslim Festivals such as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha . Similarly in Hindu festivals like Karva Chauth, Diwali, Bhaidooj and Teej. In some Hindu festivals, many women have Henna applied to their hands and feet. It is usually drawn on the palms and feet, where the design will be clearest because the skin on these surfaces naturally contains less of the pigment, melanin. Henna was originally used as a form of decoration mainly for brides.

In the modern age, usually people buy readymade Henna cones, which are ready to use and make painting easy. However, in rural areas in India, women grind fresh henna leaves on grinding stone with added oil, which though not as refined as professionally prepared henna cones, brings much darker colors.

The term henna tattoo is figurative, because true tattoos are permanent surgical insertions ofpigments underneath the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface as is the case with mehndi.

Likely due to the desire for a "tattoo-black" appearance, many people have started adding the synthetic dye p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) to henna to give it a black colour. PPD is extremely harmful to the skin and can cause severe allergic reactions resulting in permanent injury or death.^[2] Alata (Mahur) is a flower-based dye used to paint the feet of the brides in some regions of India. It is still used in

                     Punjabi baraat

 Both men and women participate in the procession of a Punjabi baraat. Close male relatives of both the bride and groom always wear turbans, which indicates honor. When the baraat arrives at the wedding venue, a ceremony known as the milni (literally, meeting ormerger) is carried out, in which equivalent relatives from the groom and bride's sides greet each other.^[5] This usually begins with the two fathers, followed by the two mothers, then the siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins; even distant relatives are included in the milni, which symbolizes the unification of the two clans

                              Walima or Valima 

(Arabic: وليمة‎ walīmah), or the marriage banquet, is the second of the two traditional parts of an Islamic wedding. The walima is performed after the nikah, (Arabic: نكاح‎) or marriage ceremony. The word walima is derived from awlam, meaning to gather or assemble. It designates a feast in Arabic . Walima is used as a symbol to show domestic felicity in the household post-marriage.^[1] . While walima is often used to describe a celebration of marriage, it is also held to celebrate the birth of a newborn and the purchase of a new home.

A wedding is always a happy time for families to celebrate^{[citation needed]}. In the Muslim world, there are colorful, cultural variations from place to place.^[17]

According to the Quran, a married Muslim couple, both husband and wife act as each other’s protector and comforter and are therefore only meant "for one another".

All Muslim marriages have to be declared publicly and are never be undertaken in secret. For many Muslims, it is the ceremony that counts as the actual wedding alongside a confirmation of that wedding in a registry office according to fiqh, in Islam a wedding is also viewed as a legal contract particularly in Islamic jurisprudences. However, most Muslim cultures separate both the institutions of the mosque and marriage, no religious official is necessary, but very often an Imam presides and performs the ceremony, he may deliver a short sermon.^[18]

In Islam, polygyny is allowed with certain religious restrictions, despite that an overwhelming majority of Muslims traditionally practice monogamy.

It is forbidden in Islam for parents or anyone else: to force, coerce, or trick either man or woman into a marriage that is contrary to the individual will of any one of the couple. It is also necessary for all marriages commence with the best of intentions

Happy Anniversary
and May
your marriage be Blessed with love,
joy And companionship
For all the years of your lives!