Mehndi and Bahasa Malaysia"Why are the fingers of Malay bride and Indian bride red?" young Yvonne asked me. The berinai ceremony in a Malay wedding is reminiscent of the mehndi ceremony in an Indian wedding--a legacy of Hinduism's long time influence in the Malay archipelago before the advent of Islam.This art of application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration, orginated in India and what now is Pakistan. Inai is the Malay word for henna, the plant used as the dye for berinai ceremony. In Bahasa Malaysia, the prefix "ber" means "to wear or put on", "berinai" therefore is to apply henna.
The complete set of berinai ceremony is not often practiced these days, due to its complexity and high costs. But Wan discusses the full berinai ceremony here for the sake of information. In a proper Malay wedding, the berinai ceremony is divided into three stages: Berinai curi--Usually close women relatives apply henna on the bride. Berinai kecil--Relatives, neighbours and friends apply henna on the bride. Berinai besar--Special guests of the couple apply henna on the bridegroom AND the bride.
The whole process is collectively termed berinai di pelamin, carried out before akad nikah or solemnization and bersanding.
Here's berinai for a Malay wedding:
And "berinai" in an Indian wedding:
Do they look similar to you...?
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