Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Rowan tree in Tradition


We will described one of the most popular Polish trees, rowan. A rowan is beautiful, especially in autumn. This tree grows everywhere. The name "rowan" is derived from the Old Norse name for the tree, raun or rogn.
Rowan tree have been used in mythology, history, art, music, literature, poetry, medicine and food but we will talk about triadition.
The holiday of the Rowan is a perfect chance for getting to know the culture and the tradition of local delicacies of Poland.
On the fair it will be possible to purchase souvenirs made by local craftsmen and folk authors. Juices, fresh fruits, jam, the plum jam in it preserves of the rowanberry will also be available on stalls, similarly to baking and different country, culinary delicacies. During the party disappearing professions will be presented: the blacksmith, the carpenter, the potter. The music, dances and folk songs of appearing natives of Cracow during the holiday will summon the atmosphere of former banquet, taking place in inns and inns meetings. This holiday is on 7th September.
The European rowan (S. aucuparia) has a long tradition in European mythology and folklore. It was thought to be a magical tree and protection against malevolent beings. The density of the rowan wood makes it very usable for walking sticks and magician's staves. This is why druid staffs, for example, have traditionally been made out of rowan wood, and its branches were often used in dowsing rods and magic wands.
Rowan was carried on vessels to avoid storms, kept in houses to guard against lightning, and even planted on graves to keep the deceased from haunting. It was also used to protect one from witches . Often birds' droppings contain rowan seeds, and if such droppings land in a fork or whole, where old leaves have accumulated on a larger tree, such as an oak or a maple, they may result in a rowan growing as an epiphyte on the larger tree. Such a rowan is called a "flying rowan" and was thought of as especially potent against witches and their magic, and as a counter-charm against sorcery. Rowan's alleged protection against enchantment made it perfect to be used in making rune staves for metal divining, and to protect cattle from harm by attaching sprigs to their sheds. Leaves and berries were added to divination incense for better scrying.
In Finland and Sweden, the number of berries on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter. This is now considered mere superstition , as fruit production is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for flower and fruit production; it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter. Contrary to the above, in Maalahti, Finland the opposite was thought. If there rowan flowers were plentiful then the rye harvest would also be plentiful. Similarly, if the rowan flowered twice in a year there would be many potatoes and many weddings that autumn. And in Sipoo people are noted as having said that winter began first when the waxwings (bird) had eaten the last of the rowan berries (plant).
In Sweden it was also thought that if the rowan trees grew pale and lost color, the fall and winter would bring much illness.
Bibliography :
http://www.wikipedia.org

By the Polish team

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