Mehndi is the ancient Indian tradition of henna body painting. It is usually reserved for brides and special occasions. Its purpose is decorative beautification. Traditionally all the henna was applied individually by hand. This process, depending on the detail of the design, may take 20 minutes to several hours. After several hours the henna is washed off, but the dye of the pattern remains to decorate one’s skin for two to four weeks.
This took seconds and required no washing.