Sangeet

One of the traditions of Indian weddings is a Sangeet. Sangeet literally means song and dance in hindi and it  is a womens only get together hosted by the Brides female friends and relatives before the wedding.  The main part of a Sangeet is the putting Mehndi(Henna) on the bride and other women. The significance of Mehndi is a way to make your love stronger. Tradition says that the darker the color of your Henna the deeper your love and hence the stronger your marriage. Another fun Mehndi custom is to hide the groom’s name in the design and he has to find his name in the Mehndi design the day of the wedding or the Bride’s friends won’t let him see his bride. Usually at a  Sangeet women  play music, make up bawdy songs about the bride and groom and there’s lots of dancing. Also there’s  jokes( some off color ones), and silly skits and of course food. 

One of my mom’s friends wants to do a Sangeet the night before the wedding, but I’m not sure how likely this will be because a lot of people may not even get into town till Friday morning. Also, I’m not sure if I will be able to find someone to do Henna in Utah because the Indian population is quite small , but if I could, I think it would be something really fun to do with my bridesmaids. Its a very Indian tradition and I feel like if this happens it will add some desi flavor to the wedding festivities. Plus any chance to party is good. Right ?