Henna Heart Hands

One of our favorite ideas was our “Henna Heart Hands” sticker, as it embodies a beautiful element of cultures from as far afield as South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, North, West and East Africa, and Malaysia. Today, henna is commonly used at celebrations all over Europe, North America and Australia, too. Henna painting, or mehndi, has traditionally been a strong feature of wedding preparations, but is also used at birthdays, Nourouz, Passover, ‘Eid, Diwali, and much more. It is associated with beauty, luck and blessings.

Henna painting has been used as a stunning yet affordable form of temporary body art for centuries. Ancient Egyptian texts reveal that henna was used to dye hair at least 3,500 years ago, and the bright red colour it gives fair hair became a craze in 19th century Europe among followers of the bohemian and Pre-Raphaelite art movements. The first evidence of henna as body decoration comes from Ancient Greece, where rock art dating from before 1680 BCE shows women adorning their bodies with henna designs as part of their wedding preparations. Evidence of henna use has also been found in Catal Huyuk, one of the oldest cities in the world, and in cave murals in India and Sri Lanka from the 4th and 5th centuries.

Lawsonia inermis (henna) powder at a spice bazaar in Istanbul. Photo by William Neuheisel (WikiCommons)

Authentic henna is made from leaves of the Lawsonia inermis tree, which are ground and mixed with water, black tea or lemon juice to form a smooth paste. This is then carefully applied using a cone onto hands, feet, nails, arms and legs. It is also used to dye hair and beards, giving it an orange or reddish-brown tone, depending on the original hair color.

Different cultures have adopted different patterns and designs for their henna: Muslim henna tends to be abstract in design, with floral and vine patterns throughout. Hindu mehndi designs are thin and dense, with lace, flowers, dots, paisley, and lines. In African cultures, designs are geometric and bold, tending to be large and abstract.

This Mojimix sticker blends the traditional art of henna painting with a heart symbol that has taken off in recent years in the West and beyond. We feel it represents the fusion of cultures that we are all in some way a part of.