Hamsa

The hamsa is an open hand, often with an eye in the palm, kept across North Africa and the Middle East as a sign of protection and blessing. Its name comes from the Arabic word for five, and Jewish families also call it hamesh. Muslims know it as the hand of Fatima, many Jews as the hand of Miriam.

Name: Arabic khamsa, five
Also called: hand of Fatima, hand of Miriam
Hung traditionally: by the front door

Osta Hamsa · 94 Merkitys

Osta Hamsa

Pieni suitsuketikun pidike, kultainen alumiini, hamsa Tikut · Alumiini £6.95Jäsenille: +£0.10 takaisin
Suitsukepidike Hamsa kiillotettua alumiinia, suuri Tikut · Alumiini £20.95Jäsenille: +£1.25 takaisin
Kiillotettu alumiininen Hamsa-suitsuketeline 14cm Tikut £8.99Jäsenille: +£0.35 takaisin
Emaljinen suitsukekulho - alumiini - sininen Hamsa Tikut · Alumiini £10.99Jäsenille: +£0.60 takaisin
Emaljinen suitsukekulho – Mangopuu – Hamsa Tikut · Mangopuu £10.99Jäsenille: +£0.60 takaisin
Neliönmuotoinen mangupuinen öljypoltin, hamsa-käsi Tuoksuvaha · Mangopuu £10.99Jäsenille: +£0.60 takaisin
Hamsa-uhrilautanen, keskiyönsininen, emaloitu, kolmijalkainen Alumiini £20.95Jäsenille: +£1.35 takaisin
Hamsa-kynttilänjalka mangopuusta, pieni 18x11cm Mangopuu £13.99Jäsenille: +£0.75 takaisin
Suitsukkeen poltin, saippuakivi Hamsa 7 chakran symbolia Tikut · Vuolukivi £22.95Jäsenille: +£1.40 takaisinVähissä varastoissa
Suitsukkeen poltin, Hamsa violetti saippuakivi Elämän kukka Tikut · Vuolukivi 4,5 (2)£17.99Jäsenille: +£1.05 takaisin
Suitsukkeen poltin, saippuakivi Hamsa Elämänpuu Tikut · Vuolukivi 4,4 (8)£17.99Jäsenille: +£1.05 takaisin
Saippuakivinen suitsukkeen poltin, Hamsa lootuskukka-mallilla Tikut · Vuolukivi £9.95Jäsenille: +£0.60 takaisin
Suitsukkeen poltin, saippuakivi Hamsa Ganesha-kaiverruksella Tikut · Vuolukivi £9.95Jäsenille: +£0.60 takaisin
Vuolukivinen Hamsa-suitsuketeline pentagrammikuviolla Tikut · Vuolukivi £8.99Jäsenille: +£0.45 takaisin
Suitsukkeen poltin, saippuakivi Hamsa Om-symbolilla Tikut · Vuolukivi £8.99Jäsenille: +£0.45 takaisin
Suitsukkeen poltin, saippuakivi Hamsa auringon kasvoilla Tikut · Vuolukivi £8.99Jäsenille: +£0.45 takaisin
Saippuakivinen suitsukkeen poltin, Hamsa Buddha-kaiverruksella Tikut · Vuolukivi £8.99Jäsenille: +£0.45 takaisin
Suitsuketikun pidike Hamsa seitsemän chakraa Tikut · Alumiini £7.95Jäsenille: +£0.25 takaisin
Suitsuketikun pidike Hamsa vihreä pieni Tikut · Alumiini £12.00Jäsenille: +£0.75 takaisin
Hamsa suitsukepidike, pieni punainen ja vihreä Tikut · Alumiini £12.00Jäsenille: +£0.75 takaisin
Puinen suitsukekulho, Hamsa-rituaalialttari 13x7cm 13 × 7 cm · Mangopuu £14.99Jäsenille: +£0.90 takaisin
Saippuakivi Öljypoltin Hamsa Käsi 10cm Öljy ja vesi · Vuolukivi £19.99Jäsenille: +£1.10 takaisin
Suitsukkeenpidike Hamsa Saippuakivi Elämänpuu 9x6cm Tikut · Vuolukivi 4,0 (1)£8.99Jäsenille: +£0.40 takaisin
Seleniittikynttilänjalka Hamsa-käsi Seleniitti £16.95Jäsenille: +£1.00 takaisin

What it means

The hamsa is a blessing in the shape of a hand. Tradition holds that it turns away the evil eye, the harm that envy is believed to carry, and keeps a home and its people well. An eye drawn in the palm makes that link plain.

Where it comes from

Hand amulets are older than the faiths that keep them today; they are known from the ancient Near East and North Africa. In Islam the hand is linked with Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and in Judaism with Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron. Muslim families across the Maghreb and Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews have hung it for centuries, and Christians in the region keep it too.

Some religious teachers in both faiths discourage amulets, and many families keep the hamsa simply as a sign of home, heritage and good wishes.

How people keep it

It is most often hung by the front door or above a child's bed, worn as a pendant, or given to a bride. Fingers pointing up are read as warding off harm; fingers pointing down, as a welcome and a blessing.

In Morocco and Tunisia it is painted on doors and walls, worked into jewellery and woven into textiles; in Israel it hangs in kitchens and from car mirrors. It often carries a blessing, a verse or a small blue eye.

Choosing one

Pick the direction that suits its place: fingers up by the door, fingers down above a table or a bed. A hamsa given as a gift often comes with a short written wish. Glass and metal pieces need only a dry cloth.

Kirjastossa

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Usein kysytyt kysymykset

What does a hamsa hand mean?

It is a sign of protection and blessing. Tradition holds that it turns away the evil eye and brings good fortune to a home and the people in it.

Should a hamsa face up or down?

Both are traditional. Fingers up is usually read as warding off harm, fingers down as an open blessing and welcome.

Is the hamsa Jewish or Muslim?

Both, and older than either. Muslims call it the hand of Fatima, many Jews the hand of Miriam, and Christians in the region keep it as well.

Can anyone wear a hamsa?

Yes. It is a shared folk symbol of the region rather than the sign of one faith, and wearing it with an understanding of where it comes from is welcome.