Ceremonies & Traditions

What is Dholki?

A dholki is an informal pre-wedding music night in Punjabi and Pakistani families, named after the dholki drum, where women sing folk wedding songs. Mehendi for the bride and guests is often applied during or alongside it.

Dholki explained

Dholkis can take place over several nights before the wedding. They are relaxed gatherings, which makes them ideal for guest mehendi with quick Arabic or Indo-Western designs.

Families often book a group artist for the dholki so several guests can get mehendi at once.

Also searched as: dholki night · dholki function · dholak night

Mehendi designs related to dholki

Punjabi Mehendi

Punjabi mehendi is a bold bridal style with full coverage up to the elbows, featuring peacocks, florals, doli and chooda-friendly wrist bands, applied during a lively mehendi function with music.

Pakistani Mehendi

Pakistani mehendi is a fine-line style with tightly packed fillers, delicate florals and lace-like detailing that covers most of the hand, often combined with a cleaner Arabic-style outline.

Related mehendi terms

SangeetSangeet is a pre-wedding celebration of music and dance in North Indian, Gujarati and many other Indian weddings, where both families perform for the couple. It is often combined with, or held near, the mehendi function.MayunMayun is a pre-wedding ceremony in Pakistani and North Indian Muslim weddings where the bride is anointed with ubtan (a turmeric paste) and traditionally begins a period of rest before the wedding; it often leads into the mehndi function.Mehendi CeremonyThe mehendi ceremony is a pre-wedding function, usually held one or two days before the wedding, at which the bride's hands and feet are decorated with henna while family and friends celebrate with music, dance and food.Guest MehendiGuest mehendi is the quicker, lighter mehendi applied to family and friends at a wedding, mehendi function or festival - typically half-hand Arabic, Indo-Western or minimal designs that take 10-30 minutes per person.

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