Today our we want to share a very special Indian tradition when celebrating a wedding: Mehandi.

Mehandi is the tradition consisting in Mehandi is the tradition consisting in decorating arms, feet and legs of the bride just before her marriage with henna.

The indian culture likes not only celebrating every single special occasion but every visual thing, beauty and ornamentation; that is why the Mehandi ritual is still being celebrated in every wedding nowadays. Marriage for indian women is one of the most important thingss of her life as it´s the day they become mature.

Civil status of indian women is shown depending on the amount of jewells they wear: single women will hardly wear any while married women will be wearing lot more.

Mehandi is normally organized by the bride´s family and takes place in presence of friends and relatives. The ritual starts applying turmeric to the bride´s face, so as to her feet and hands. Only after applying this turmeric, henna can be used.

There are many different designs that can be drawn into the bride´s skin, each of them more striking than the other one and it is just one of the 16 ornaments called Solah Shringar, corresponding to the 16 moon phases, that every bride willing to be pretty on her wedding day has to show. Following the tradition, the darker the colour of the henna is, the more love the groom will profess to her future wife. You will also like the idea that the wife wont have to work at home duties until the whole design fades from her skin.

At our 5 stars hotel in Alicante we believe that this marriage ritual is so very appealing…so if you are thinking about getting married, why don’t you let us organize your wedding in such a special way at the Asia Gardens Hotel?…

The first thing that will make you smile when you get to our five-star hotel will undoubtedly be the characteristic greet which we will welcome you with: the “WAI”.

The “Wai” is the typical Thai greeting which consists in bowing the head slightly as you put your hands together in pray-like format towards the chest.

 One of the possible origins of the “Wai” in which we will receive you in our luxurious resort will is actually very curious: apparently, the hand were raised to the chest level to demonstrate to the guest that the host was carrying no weapons.

Tradition states that is the way to “ask for permission” when entering a house. Likewise, tradition also states that once the visit is complete, one must ask for permission to leave and must repeat the “Wai”. We will be really glad to welcome you at Asia Gardens Hotel and we wont expect you to ask for permission to come back as we are sure that you will.

The gesture must be accompanied by the word “Sawasdee”, of Sanskrit origin, which basically means “wellbeing.” And that is exactly what we offer you at our Thai Spa: Oriental Wellness at the shores of the Mediterranean  Sea. A visit to our facilities will make you attain peace and harmony that only Asia Gardens can offer in our country.

Do you want us to join you while looking for this inner peace and harmony? ……..

We hope to welcome you at the Asia Gardens Hotel so we have the opportunity to pamper you and welcome your visit with the “Wai”.

We all know the classic figures of The Three Wise Men… but few of us know the real origin of this celebration. Here at Barceló Asia Gardens we are going to try to get to the root of this festivity.

The Three Wise Men are also known as the Kings of the East and, according to Christianity they were three distinguished people of the many that visited Jesus at his birth, offering Gold, Incense and Myrhh.

According to Matthew’s Gospel, one of the four Gospels that mention these magical figures in their texts, these men wanted to behold the recently born King of the Jews.

Even though it is not very clear how many there actually were, it is clear that their origin was in the East and that there were three gifts, which leads us to think that each one of these men offered one gift to the baby.

The names of these visitors, which children in Spain expect so anxiously every 6th of January, are Baltasar (King of Arabia), Melchor (King of Persia) and Gaspar (King of India). At least these are the names that we know today, but according to Syrian texts these names were actually “Larvandad”, “Gushnasaph” and “Hormisdas”. The Ethiopians, however, called their majesties “Kagpha”; “Badadakharida” and “Badadilma”.

According to the story, Jesus was born during the time of King Herodes, in Judea. A couple of men from the East arrived in Jerusalem asking where they could find the recently born King of the Jews. The gossip was that these three men had apparently observed a star, symbol of the birth of the baby, and that they had followed this star from far away. When this gossip reached King Herodes, he was afraid of the power of this supposed King of Jerusalem and he called upon his most important priests and influential people to find out where the Mesias was. The priests informed him that the place indicated by the prophecy was Belem of Judeia.

It was then that King Herodes met with the visitors of the East to find out exactly until where they had followed the star, place which indicated the exact birth place of the little one. The King requested that he be taken to this exact place and the Wise Men diligently took them where Mother Mary was looking after the baby.

Just then the three Wise men from the East opened their arches and offered gold, incense and myrrh. But the Wise Men had had a dream with a premonition and they decided not to indicate the whereabouts of the baby, and even abandoned the area through a different route in order to avoid the anger of Herodes.

It is this magical story which originates the tradition that in Asia Gardens we want to continue to share with you: to celebrate the day of the Three Wise Men and make the elderly and the young enjoy such a special day. For this, we have developed a special program so that the youngest can enjoy, but also so that the elderly can feel like Kings.. of the East, of course.

We encourage you to follow the star which will show you the way to our hotel…

The Three Wise Men Special Program  2013

Nights from friday 4th to the 6th of January
3 nights:  156 € Room/night
2 nights:  156 €  Room/night
1 night:   195 €  Room/night

Our program includes:

Late check out until 16h

Children up to 12 years old by courtesy in Superior Room.

Breakfast on Sunday 6th. ”Roscón de Reyes” and chocolate.

Bed and breakfast in the Udaipur Buffet Restaurant

Special Gift from the Three Wise Men for Children

Check out our Special Programs:

Adult & Children

HOTEL | BOOKING

Children

Adults

It is not difficult to imagine that Asian countries like China, Japan, Brunei and Singapore are considered within the 10 richest countries in the continent. It is for this reason that the concept of Barceló Asia Gardens, a hotel which has recently featured in the list of The Leading Hotels of the World, arises from a series of trips made to these and other Asian countries with the aim of discovering first-hand the small details which, when observed closely, reveal an origin and a meaning: Luxury.

This 5 star resort, strategically located in the Mediterranean offers you the best of each corner of Asia, not only for its special architectural design, its spectacular Asiatic pools, or its exquisite cuisine… If we have the opportunity to welcome you to our hotel, you will experience first-hand the so-called Asiatic Luxury: in every corner of this 5* hotel you will feel obliged to stop, gaze and enjoy; every moment becomes an exquisite experience that you will not want to forget. Perhaps this is why we were rewarded by Conde Nast in 2011 as Best Luxury Spa Hotel in Europe and the Mediterranean

There will only be one condition to those who wish to visit us: enjoy the exquisite luxury in a haven of tranquillity, surrounded by a beautiful environment reminiscent of the Asian continent.You can visit us with your families, with friends, with your colleagues and, why not, by yourself. The magnitude of the facilities, the Thai Spa and the diversity of activities at your disposal will certainly adjust to your personal or professional requirements.

It is our desire here from Asia Gardens that after your visit you feel not only relaxed, but also spiritually enhanced, since your stay will be a short tour through the small wonders that make up the cultural, architectural and culinary richness from Asia.

Why travel so far if you can enjoy the benefits of all these countries in our Luxury Resort near the Mediterranean Sea?

Moreover, in our blog we will make your journey into the world of Asian luxury even more interesting… from now we hope you will visit us because we will share not only information about the hotel itself, but also news, traditions and facts about the world of luxury…. the real luxury: the Asian Luxury.

Do you feel like joining us in this long and exquisite trip?