Events
We are available for art fairs, popups, parties, and much more!
Our Upcoming Events
Did you enjoy your previous henna experience? Looking forward to more henna?
Here’s where you can find us next:
IAL Diwali Spectacular, Lexington, MA, Saturday October 19th, [4:00 to 6:00 PM], at Cary Memorial Hall
Take A Look At Our Past Events Below!
Lex250 Countdown Calendar
On June 18th, 2024, Henna for Humanity received the opportunity to be Calendar Keepers for the Lex250 Countdown Calendar. The Countdown Calendar is a monument in Lexington’s Town Center counting down the days to the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. The Lex250 organization highlights 365 local organizations, one each day, to change out the numbers on the calendar. We are so grateful to be recognized by the town of Lexington, especially for such a historic responsibility. This recognition boosted our strength, and gave us so much confidence in our work. Check us out on the official Lex250 website!
AAPI Food Festival at Lexington High School
(L to R) Shloka Venkatesh and Sthuthi Venkatesh (Bedford Branch) and Vinaya from Henna for Humanity
Above: Sthuthi Venkatesh (Bedford Branch) and Saadhana Vijay from Henna for Humanity
On May 24th, 2024, Henna for Humanity were invited by IAL (Indian Americans of Lexington) to represent them at Lexington High School, during the AAPI Food Festival organized by the Chinese Americans of Lexington Youth Leadership Council. Not only were there dozens of Asian cuisines featured, but also cultural art and games, including Korean calligraphy, Chinese Mahjongg, and henna, which is practiced all over South Asia. During this event, we got to meet so many more teens in Lexington that were passionate about their culture, just as we were. It was such a warm experience, being in the same room with so many like-minded students about sharing aspects of their custom and heritage with the world, which were beyond cool to explore.
Along with this event, Henna for Humanity has a special announcement! Here, we debuted the Bedford Branch of this initiative. As the four founding members are all based in Lexington, we’ve begun to create teams based in other towns to attend and any events taking place near them. Hopefully the Bedford Branch in first of many. If you and a few friends are interested in starting a branch of Henna for Humanity in your town, reach out to us through the “Contact Us!” tab above, or DM us on Instagram @henna_for_humanity
Kindness Rocks at Harrington Elementary School
(L to R) Vinaya and Saadhana from Henna for Humantiy and Ashvitha E
(L to R) Angela Carpenter (Music teacher at Harrington), Dr. Rory O’Connor (Vice Principal at Harrington), Mrs. Jackie Daley (Principal at Harrington)
On April 24th, 2024, Saadhana and Vinaya from Henna for Humanity, and one of our wonderful and talented friends, Ashvitha, from LHS henna club visited Harrington Elementary School for our second Kindness Rocks event. As Ashvitha, Saadhana and Vinaya were all graduates of Harrington, it was a special pleasure for us to return to our old school community, and do something special for them. The Harrington Community is always such a pleasure to visit as they are always spreading a message of kindness and inclusivity, just like the Kindness Rocks Project. The warm community of Harrington Elementary makes us never want to leave, and continue coming back for more events. Thank you to everyone who came and got henna done and a special thank you to Mrs. Carpenter, Mrs. Daley and Dr. O’Connor for being super supportive of our work, we appreciate you all so much! Look out Harrington community, Henna for Humanity will be back for the Harrypalooza on June 2nd!
Henna Workshop at Sherborn Library
On March 9th, 2024, Henna for Humanity travelled to Sherborn, MA, to conduct a workshop for the local community. There, we introduced the art, practiced designs, and had a great time interacting with people with a passion for an art that we care so much about. We absolutely loved being able to have the opportunity to teach such eager and kind people, who we just had a great time with. If you are also interested in learning how to create your own henna designs, thank you so much, and look out! Henna for Humanity may be coming to your town! Check out the list of upcoming events above.
Indian Americans of Lexington Diwali Festival
(L to R) Vinaya, Saadhana, Niyathi, Advika from Henna for Humantiy, and Nishta Chhabra at IAL Diwali
On October 29th, 2023, all of Henna for Humanity, along with Ashvita and Nishtha, two LHS Henna Club members, did henna at a Diwali Festival hosted by the Indian Americans of Lexington. As a group of young, Indian-American students, we gladly accepted the invitation to celebrate such a huge occasion in our culture, the Festival of Lights, known more commonly as Diwali. During the event, there were plenty of other vendors that were selling traditional jewelry and clothing, along with some incredible dance and vocal performances to popular Bollywood songs.
Diwali falls on November 12th, in 2023, as the date changes based on the Hindu lunar calendar. It can fall anywhere between mid-October to mid-November. This festival is celebrated all over India, and also by people of Indian descent internationally. Traditionally, people light diyas, or clay lamps, outside their homes to ward off evil spirits and celebrate the triumph of good over evil. More recently, it has become a common tradition to light fire crackers and sparklers to make the celebration all the more exciting.
During the Diwali Event, we were able to enjoy doing henna on people from different parts of India, who were coming together to celebrate such a core festival to our community. All the while bringing just a little more fun and flavor of our own. Thank you everyone who stopped by and got henna done! Connecting back to our roots and culture, the place this all started from, was such an amazing and extraordinary experience!
Bedford Music and Arts Fair
On June 17th, 2023, Saadhana and Vinaya from Henna for Humanity attended the Bedford Cultural District’s Music and Arts Fair, at the First Parish Church. We were very lucky to be invited by Angela Carpenter, one of the participants running the Kindness Rocks stand, and a friend of ours who has selflessly recommended and reached out to us with event opportunities. The fair featured artisans who made their own jewelry, and even a stand running a community painting for everybody to come and participate on. Throughout this event, we experienced a wide variety of people and their own passions and interests.
In addition to the freestyle designs and intricate patterns we worked on, we also had the privilege to be interviewed by Bedford TV MA at the event. The staff members were very accommodating, kind, and gave us an opportunity to showcase our art, and our initiative to a wider audience. Along with the Kindness Rocks, and of course, Beford Farms ice cream, who were also at the event, we were beyond excited to be expanding into new towns and cities, and hoping to spread the message of giving to even more areas.
(L to R) Saadhana, Vinaya, and Niyathi doing henna at Harrington Elementary
Spring finally feels like it’s here! That means Henna for Humanity is on the rise leading up to and during the summer. This time, we started local with one of the elementary schools in the Lexington area. Saadhana, Vinaya, Niyathi, along with Ashvita, and Lisa, two of our amazing volunteers, attended the fair. As it was our second time being welcomed to a Harrington school community event, we took it upon ourselves to thank these wonderful people for the joy and positivity they spread through our work.
HarryPalooza is a annual fair run by the Harrington PTO, and yearly features plenty of snacks and candy, creative games, a bouncy house and a highly anticipated raffle with incredible prizes. The fair is always a highlight for the Harrington community, and we were beyond excited to be a part of it. The PTO were familiar with us because of our appearance at Harrington’s Kindness Rocks event, which you can read about below. So, they invited us to join their HarryPalooza festival, to whichwe readily agreed.
Since Saadhana, Niyathi and Ashvitha all attended Harrington in the past, and with Vinaya is graduating this year, it was truly special to be able to reminisce our time there while still continuing to make new memories with Henna for Humanity.
HarryPalooza at Harrington Elementary School
May is Asian American and Pacific Islanders Month, and that means, throughout the month , people from these countries get to be especially proud of and celebrate their heritage. The Network for Social Justice Winchester did exactly that. We were very proud to be able to represent our culture to the fullest.
Joined by Ashvitha, a volunteer from Lexington High School’s Henna Club, Saadhana and Niyathi attended the festival on May 17th, 2023. During the event, we did henna designs for people looking to learn and experience more about Asian American culture and art. The patrons as well as the volunteers at the event were very engaged and interested in the experience, and we loved that we could converse comfortably with each and every one of our customers. We met people from many different backgrounds and ethnicities, and it was incredibly fascinating to see that such a vast group were interested in what we do, and were willing to support our cause.
Winchester AAPI Cultural Festival
Kindness Rocks Project at Harrington Elementary School
On April 27, 2023, Vinaya and Niyathi visited Harrington Elementary School in Lexington, to do henna at their Kindness Rocks event. We were lucky enough to be invited by Mrs. Angela Carpenter, a music teacher at the school. We are so grateful that she thought we would be a great fit for her school’s event.
The Kindness Rocks Project is an annual event run by the Harrington Community, in which students, friends, and family come together to paint and decorate rocks with positive affirmation and encouragement.
The Kindness Rocks project is already something Harrington families look forward to, which made it even more special how openly they welcomed us. The entire Harrington community is truly committed to the message of kindness they were spreading throughout the event, which we loved seeing and experiencing. Thank you Harrington and thank you to everyone who did something kind today!
Henna Program for Tweens at Acton Memorial Library
On April, 21, 2023, Vinaya and Niyathi from Henna for Humanity traveled to the Acton Memorial Library to run a henna class for tweens who were interested. During this class, we introduced the attendees to henna, it’s history, and it’s application over various mediums. Vinaya and Niyathi walked their class through a introductory presentation, design practice, and finally, decorating their own henna canvases, which they all got to take home. Thank you to everyone who attended this workshop, and if you are interested in another, look for us at the Wayland Public Library on June 8th!
During the months of October and even November, Diwali festivities, parties, and performances have been going on, and we were more than excited to be a part of them!
In Hindu culture, Diwali is the festival of lights. It’s celebrated as the day King Rama, from the Indian Mythology Epic, the ‘Ramayana’, returned to his kingdom after 14 years of exile. It was a joyous day in the story and is celebrated as one today. There are other versions of the story of Diwali depending on where you are in India, so this is just one version.
Diwali today is observed with sparklers, diyas (Clay lamps), delicious food, and colorful dresses. This year, we were asked to come and add to the already packed Diwali parties by giving the guests something to remember the party by, our henna designs! Thank you so much to everyone who allowed us to make their party even better. Happy Diwali from Henna for Humanity!
Henna for Diwali!
Refugee Artisans of Worcester Opening Reception & Artist Demonstration
On October 9th, 2022, Vinaya and Niyathi visited LexArt for the second time, participating in the Refugee Artisans of Worchester’s Opening Artist Reception. In between painting henna, we explored crafts of many new cultures, learning about the traditional roots and emotional connections many other artisans have to their crafts, similar to ours. Visiting LexArt. In total, we raised $113 during this amazing event. Collaborating with LexArt again and seeing all the patrons excited about our craft was truly a touching experience!
British International School of Boston and YES! Grand Re-Opening
(L to R) Advika, Saadhana, Niyathi, Vinaya, Abhinav
September 24, 2022, was a long, hectic, yet wonderful day for Henna for Humanity. We had booked 2 events on the same day, which meant that we had to split up between the British International School of Boston’s Fall Festival in Jamaica Plains, MA, and the YES! Grand Re-opening in Arlington, MA.
Advika, Vinaya, and Saadhana were located at the YES! Grand Re-opening in Arlington. YES! is a company dedicated to minimizing the use of plastics and the amount of trash people throw away every day. When YES! reached out to us, we were absolutely thrilled to be invited by such a wonderful company that worked for a truly incredible cause. During the event, we were outside the store with our supplies and mainly did henna for the YES! shoppers. There, we got to talk with the owners of the shop, the mother and daughter who had invited us to do henna. They were extremely kind and welcoming to us and both got henna done. We chatted about what our missions are and how we are all trying to make the world a better place, just in different ways.
Meanwhile, Niyathi and Abhinav were at the British International School of Boston, a festival organized by Cathy Benwell and Russel Brown. Since this was a school event, most customers were teenagers. Niyathi was doing henna constantly as there was a very huge crowd at her stall. Thankfully, Abhinav helped Niyathi out by keeping the crowd under control, taking photos, talking with others about henna, and logging the number of hands and donations. Although there was a huge crowd, we were really amazed and grateful by the amount people that were interested. One special mention is Keena Patel, who supported us throughout the event and gave us an incredible contribution of $150.
We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who believed in us during the BISB and YES! events, in which we raised a total of $258. Thank you all so much and we hope that we will be able to have another wonderful day like this again.
(L to R) Saadhana, Vinaya, Niyathi, Advika
Herb Fest
On Saturday, September 10th Henna for Humanity attended the Herb Fest, which the Lexington Historical Society had organized. During one of our previous events, Ann Lee from the Lexington Historical Society approached us with the invitation to attend the Herb Fest as a vendor. She explained how the festival was organized as an event that appreciates the use of different herbs and plants in everyday life. Thanks to Ann’s interest and kindness, we were able to share our cause and our henna art with even more people.
During the event, we raised $180 for AASAI. We had a large variety of people visiting us, from people roaming Lexington Center, to people from important organizations! We also met a few correspondents from LexSeeHer, an organization in Lexington which promotes the achievements and contributions of women to our town. We were truly grateful to be recognized by such a wonderful organization and by such amazing people at the Herb Fest.
Lexington and Belmont Farmer’s Markets
Raised: $224.52
Winchester Farmer’s Market
Raised: $202
The Belmont and Lexington Farmer’s Markets
Raised: $174
The Belmont and Winchester Farmer’s Markets
Raised: $168
Our First Birthday Party
On June 9th, 2022, Henna for Humanity was hired by our very first client, Beth Davidson, for her daughter’s 21st birthday party. Since this was the first time someone had hired us to do a personal event, Vinaya and Niyathi weren’t sure what to expect. Yet, we were pleasantly surprised. Both girls appreciated the experience and we learned a lot from it. We did henna for 6 girls at the party, meaning we had to be extremely flexible. Many of the clients asked for designs on both sides of their hands, which we hadn’t really planned for. We had to be very versatile and think of new patterns and designs on the spot, showcasing our expertise and professionalism.
Overall, we learned a ton from this experience and we can’t wait to have another opportunity like this one to showcase our henna art. Feel free to contact us if you want to hire Henna for Humanity for any special event of yours!
Belmont Farmer’s Market
On June 2nd, 2022, Henna For Humanity attended the Belmont Farmer’s Market. It wasn’t the most beautiful day, but many people were willing to stop by and get their hands painted and learn more about henna, which we were extremely grateful for. After the event, we raised $81 for the AASAI foundation because of everyone’s generous donations. Once again, we were truly thankful for this opportunity and we hope that we can come back to Belmont again!
The South Asian Festival
The South Asian Festival, which took place on May 14th, 2022 a fair was organized to spread the culture and heritage of South Asian countries such as India, Bhutan, Pakistan, and the surrounding areas. During this festival, people were able to take a sneak peek into the beauty of South Asian crafts, which ranged from authors to artists from the region.
Although it was hot and tiring, Niyathi was extremely excited about participating in this event, and it was definitely worth it in the end. Once the festival had wrapped up, she felt really proud about being able to share our cultural craft with the world. Showcasing our craft at the South Asian Festival was a huge step forward for Henna for Humanity. We felt that our initiative was reaching new heights and spreading cultural awareness, one of our major goals.
To sum up, we are very grateful to the South Asian Festival for allowing Henna for Humanity to display our Indian culture, and we hope to continue doing so
The Winchester Farmer’s Market
Through the Winchester Artists’ Network, we were offered the opportunity to showcase our craft at the Winchester Farmers’ Market on September 11th, 2021. As one of the artisans showcasing their craft, we were able to experiment with different styles and improvise on designs not just on hands but on ankles, shoulders & wrists, something we hadn’t explored previously. It was also energizing to get live feedback from young kids, teens, and even adults the entire time. In total, we raised $230 for humanitarian causes in India, and overall, it was a positive experience, as we learned much from our interactions. We also came back with many ideas for outreach, and hope that we can go back to the market in the future to keep our connection with the community alive.
The Lexington Farmer’s Market
On August 3rd, 2021, Saadhana, Vinaya, and Niyathi set up a stall at the Lexington Farmer’s Market and did henna for the duration of the market, which was 4 1/2 hours. It was quite hot and humid, but by the conclusion of the market, we had raised a total of $209, which was far more than we had anticipated. We were all really grateful to everyone who stopped by our stall to have their hands painted, as well as to the people who made it happen, namely Alex, the Market Manager.
LexArt
On May 8th, 2021, I debuted my Mehndi skills in an art fair organized by the Lexington Arts & Crafts Society (LexArt). I raised $153 and donated the money to The Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled to help children and people with disabilities get the care they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was wonderful to be a part of this art fair and by extension, a part of a change for India! I am looking forward to working with many other organizations to make a change through Indian art.
Wedding and Engagement Parties
My First Engagement Party
On July 11th, 2021, I broadened my skills and did Henna for an engagement party. Pre-engagement Henna has been a custom in my family as well as the Indian culture as a whole, and I really enjoyed this opportunity to showcase my skills for such a honored tradition. For me, this engagement party was also an introduction to more complicated designs, and I look forward to more events like this one in the future.
“When my fiance’s mother asked me if I would be interested in decorating my hands with henna for my engagement, I wasn’t really sure about what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.
Niyathi decorated both my hands with henna with intricate patterns, a tradition for Indian brides.
On the designated day, she arrived with henna cones and began decorating my hands (which took a total of 2+ hours). She was thoroughly prepared and I realized that she had practiced beforehand in addition to doing a good amount of research on bridal henna patterns. As I chatted with her, I found her to be polite, professional and a dedicated artist.
Niyathi asked me if she could use the pictures of my hands on her website to which I graciously agreed. She did not charge anything for her services, and in addition to decorating my hands, she also decorated my fiance’s sister’s and a friend’s hands who had much simpler yet elegant motifs.
Overall, I would definitely go back to get henna with Niyathi and would also not hesitate to recommend her to friends/family. Henna for Humanity is a portal to spread love and is a wonderful way to simply hang out with friends.”
— Chana Lim