The Magical, Experimental World of Eid Henna
The joyful declaration of identity — inked in Mughal arches, crescent moons, and dainty flowers — is undergoing a revival.
As the 10th-century Sufi fable goes, when Sohni wanted to escape her loveless marriage, she would swim daily across the riverbank to see her lover, Mahiwal — in the dead of night. Every evening, as she swam through dark waters, Mahiwal would see her silhouette only if there was a moonlit sky, her hands and feet glowing red with henna.
Their love story is ultimately a tragic one. Sohni drowns after her sister-in-law replaces the vessel she used to float with one that melted away. Mahiwal erects a tomb in her memory. But they never reunite in their present life. The tale, however, is also an ode to a particular art that remains relevant to this day.