“Mehndi or menhdi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration in India, as well as by expatriate communities from the country. The word mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā. The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Vedic ritual books. Haldi (Staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are important Vedic customs as a symbolic representation of the Outer and the Inner Sun. Vedic customs are meant to awaken the “inner light” and so the gold of the inner Sun has an important symbolic function”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Application of henna or “Mehndi” to a girls hand in a market on October 18, 2010 in Jaipur, India. (Photo by Simon de Trey-White/Getty Images)

«Sing»

The story of 20 children born or living with illness or health conditions is being told by Toronto photographer and artist Shawn Van Daele, by transforming their drawings into magical photographs.

A visitor takes in a view of the downtown district from Twin Peaks on Friday, January 9, 2015, in San Francisco. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. The site used to close at 5 p.m., but is now staying open until 8 p.m. The change is mainly aimed at allowing more people to visit and reducing long lines, since it can only hold a limited number of people at a time and visits can't be reserved in advance. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

Shoppers walk past crocodiles for sale at a market in Bata on February 3, 2015. Markets in Equatorial Guinea sell a variety of animals including pangolins, monkeys and crocodiles as food. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

A man rides a bike on a submerged road alongside a boat at Demra area in Dhaka on July 24, 2020. As many as 20 districts including the latest additions Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, and Naogaon have so far been hit with the worsening flood situation across Bangladesh and many more areas might be inundated if the situation does not improve soon, said Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). (Photo by Sultan Mahmud Mukut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Chinese women dressed in traditional costumes and wearing masks visit a popular shopping street in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province, Saturday, January 23, 2021. A year after it was locked down to contain the spread of coronavirus, the central Chinese city of Wuhan has largely returned to normal, even as China continues to battle outbreaks elsewhere in the country. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)