Applying henna right before Eid has been a tradition in Pakistan since forever and at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) for the past four years.

Keeping this tradition alive, the KPC organised its annual Mehndi Mela on Thursday where its members and their families were invited to get henna applied on their hands ahead of Eidul Fitr. And henna artists at this event, too, were the daughters of journalists, media workers and KPC members.

National hockey player Fatima Zehra was the chief guest on the Thursday occasion, who distributed Eidi among young henna artists.

Several female KPC members and wives and daughters of male KPC members attended the event to get their hands adorned with henna designs and patterns without being charged for the service.

The KPC has been holding this event ahead of Eidul Fitr since 2019.

In its first year, the press club had approached several beauty parlours in Karachi, seeking the services of their henna artists. However, the parlours had said that they could not lend their employees so close to Eid.

As a result, it was proposed that the participants of an annual henna competition held at the KPC on August 14 be approached and the press club was able to go ahead with its plan of organising the Mehndi Mela.

Kulsoom Jahan, a member of the KPC governing body who was among the henna artists at this year’s event, said while speaking to Dawn.com that organising the event had now become a tradition at the press club.

According to her, the KPC is the only press club in Pakistan that currently organises such an event ahead of Eidul Fitr.

Pakistan will be celebrating Eidul Fitr on Saturday.

Eidul Fitr is a significant festival in the Islamic calendar, celebrated at the end of the Holy month of Ramazan. Muslims all over the world observe a month of fasting, and Eid celebrations mark the end of this period of self-restraint.