Hamsa - Hand of Fatima - changing hands

Hamsa is Arabic and literally means 'five'. It is understood that the five fingers push away the evil eye and ward off any negative energies. Hand of Fatima refers to Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Centuries ago hamsa got into the hands (!) of some Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities as well and they renamed it to Hand of Miriam. (In the Bible, Miriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron.)

Arabic Christians adopted hamsa as a bearer of good fortune and called it the Hand of Mary. When the Islamic rule of Spain ended, the Hand of Fatima was so widely used there that Emperor Charles V banned it along with all open right hand amulets in 1526.

Hamsa is widely used in Algeria, Egypt and in Israel. It's hung on the walls of rooms, doorways and shops, and worn as pendant.

I work in a store that sells jewelry and people request hamsa pieces on a weekly basis. There are tons of hamsa necklaces, bracelets and earrings out in the market but it's rare to find a genuine, old North African silver hamsa with the traditional coral and glass bead decorations. I would imagine an original piece has a much more powerful energy attached to it to protect its wearer from negative influences. Actually I can feel that it is so when I hold this original African Hand of Fatima I have for sale in my Etsy shop:

You can tell when a piece of jewelry has a lot of history behind it. Sometimes I wish a vintage or antique pendant would talk to me... Describe the people, places, times it's lived through. 

I came across some photos of Prada 2005 Fall RTW show and, lo and behold, the jackets have hamsas on the chest. I love it when old traditions are appreciated in modern art or designs - however, I have mixed feelings about some of the ways it's done when cultural appropriation looks dangerously close.

The image of right hand is universally a sign of protection - it was found in Mesopotamian artifacts. The Greeks had the Hand of Venus (Aphrodite) which was used to ward off evil eye, strengthen the weak and help with fertility. The Buddha has several mudras or hand gestures and one of the most common ones is the mudra of blessing - an open right hand. This amazing giant Deity of Buddha sits in Lo Pin monastery in Hong Kong, blessing the village below.

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." Buddha