Sponsored question from IS6, Kirovograd Collegium, Ukraine
What plants are symbolic for your country? Why? Share with us legends or stories connected with them.
What plants are symbolic for your country?
The Latvian national flower is the chamomile or daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). This common wildflower blossoms in June, just in time to be woven into festive wreaths for the Midsummer festivities (Jāņi).
Sacral treating - it Yanov cheese and barley beer
A meeting in the lobules of cheese cumin is necessary it is necessarily good to chew - then all will disappear troubles. In Ligo night it is necessarily needed to be atoned a naked baby and certainly to jump through a fire. For this time the young must find a flowering fern in-field. If will find - will be happy. On legend, he blossoms exactly in Yanovu night. For centuries-old history of holiday his true did not find so.
The day before Ligo of girl braid garland from forest and field colors and herbares. In the evening, on setting of sun, a garland goes down in a lake or river. It is t hus needed to think a desire. If a garland will start swim far — a desire will come true, if will swim up to to the bank not far from a that place, where was tomentous, it is not. If a garland will drown is considered a bad sign.
Eve of Ligo of night is the Grassy (or Green) day, in this day girls and women picked flowers and healthful herbares which at this time are especially rich in vitamins: clover, clary, camomile, mint, valerian. From these field colors girls made bouquets, to compliment with them a «dad» and «mother» of Yanisa (Jānis)
Oak — it just an exactly that tree which more frequent than all strikes lightning, and oak garland, lighted up a sun, seem caps, complete celestial fire. Oak, as is generally known yet and character of longevity and, putting all Yanisam on a head oak chaplet, we wish him long years, that they were strong, as oak. It is considered that all collected in Yanov the day of grass is found by medical properties.
Answer from IS4Questions:What plants are symbolic for your country? Why? Share with us legends or stories connected with them.
Symbolic plants in Morocco
maquis
trees also grow within the maquis ground covering.
eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a highly aromatic tree that produces leathery leaves that are full of the camphorous essential oil. These trees thrive in Morocco and provide a pleasant scent through many parts of the region.
Esparto Grass
soil. Esparto grass is used to make such items as baskets, sandals and place mats.
African Daisy
The African daisy is a striking flower with petals of vibrant hues. They vary in color from orange to pink to bright crimson red and grow very well in rocky soil near the coast of Morocco. It is also grown often in gardens in the region, and other Mediterranean regions.
Bay Laurel
Bay laurel is an evergreen tree that produces aromatic and flavorful leaves, which are often used in culinary dishes. It grows abundantly in Morocco and similar regions
Rockrose
Rockrose shrubs are evergreens that produce several blooms of sweet-scented flowers. It grows well in Moroccan gardens and along the coast of the country. The highly aromatic flowers attract many pollinators like bees and birds.
THE TULIP
The tulip is the symbol of our country. Because, in the Renaissance tulips were a much loved plant and status symbol. They used to be very expensive. The tulip is now the symbol for our country.
The tulip is originally from the mountains of Central Asia (now Kazachstan, but Ottoman territory in those days). The ambassador of Austria got tulip bulbs from a Sultan of Turkey. This ambassador gave the tulip bulbs to an academic of the university of Leiden, Carolus Clusius, he planted them in the Hortus Botanicus there at the end of the 16th century. The name tulip comes from the Persian word for turban (dolband), because Ottoman Sultans wore tulips in their turbans.
We have a variety of plants in South Africa. The most important plant in our country is the Protea,an indigenous South African flower.
The Protea represents the aesthetic harmony of all cultures and the country flowering as a nation.
The legend behind the historical flower is Proteus. Proteus was a minor sea god who was able to change shape at will.
Each folk has national symbols. National symbols it is the most favorite and respected things in this country. These things can be plants, animals and each country has these symbols. The Ukrainian plants symbols are poplar, viburnum, oak and osier.
One of the most respected tree on the Ukraine is osier.
It`s very difficult to imagine our country without this beautiful tree. Roots of the osier keeps the coasts and cleans the rivers. People threw osier`s roots into the pits, into the pails with water put little boards of it – like this they cleaned the water.Osier is symbol of the meetings and crowds. This tree doesn`t live for a long time.
The second national symbol of the Ukraine is poplar.
By the legend, in one village there were beautiful girl called Polya and brave boy called Striba. They felled in love with each other. One day older people asked Striba to go to the nearby village. The boy walked, but on the way he saw enemy`s army. He run to the native village and told the people about the army. People took animals, food and went to the mountains, because they wanted to wait when enemies will leave their village. In the mountains them saw the God of thunder and lightning Perun. He wanted to know why are they here. People told him about their problems. In this moment Perun saw Polya. He liked her much and said that he`ll get married her. Striba was very sad when he has heard this. Perun noticed his sadness and said : « On the grief happiness can`t be build. So she`ll be nobody`s. As he said it, he hit the stick of the ground and on the place, where were standing Polya, grew graceful green tree. The people, who were standing closer, saw what happened, but the others, who were standing further, asked :» Where`s Polya?» Them ansvered « This Polya». Striba went with Perun and became the God of winds. Like this appeared Russian name of this tree.
Symbol of the strength and power is oak.
Oak lives for very long time. Famous in the Ukraine 1300-years-old oak grows in the Uzefin in Roven region.
Slavs thought that oak is holy tree, which is under the protection of the Perun. Without permission of the soothsayers anybody could not fell oak, injure and spoil him, break his branches.
And always our folk loves viburnum, which is the symbol of girl`s beauty and tenderness. It grew near each home. About viburnum there are many songs and legends. One of them told us about nice girl called Kalina, which led enemies to the marsh. The most of them died and Kalina died too. On the place where of her ruin grew the bush. That bush people called viburnum.