I know of henna painting as a custom from Indian weddings … but you came across it in Turkey, didn’t you? Yes, in eastern Turkey when I was travelling there. It takes place a few nights before the wedding. Was it a bit like a hen night? Well, in the sense that it marks the last evening that a bride spends with female family and friends, I suppose it is a bit like that. What happens is typically, the women from both families get together, with the bride, to celebrate with music, song and dance. But it’s not just a party. It’s an occasion for sadness too, because it symbolises the end of life as a single person and the start of another stage.