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Armenia

Henna traditions were widespread in both eastern and western Armenia, however, the customs differ based on region. The henna night, called hina gisher or khennagedje in Armenian, has always been deemed an essential part of Armenian marriage traditions. In Kesaria, henna parties were organized by the bride’s female friends and family on the Friday before her wedding. Traditional Armenian henna was usually applied on the fingertips, however young women also received designs on their hands. In Nirzeh, elderly women applied henna to young girls and boys. Furthermore, in the Armenian communities of Sis, both the groom and the bride had henna nights, where the groom would get his hair cut and his friends bid for the honor of drawing the cross with henna on the hands of the groom and godfather. The tradition of hinadreq, painting the palms of a bride-to-be, is still practiced in parts of Armenia today as a sign of fertility and happiness in married life.