What does maple leaf mean. What does it mean tattooing evil in prison

» welcomes all its readers! The maple leaf is a famous symbol of Canada. Resembling a five-pointed star, is related souls connected together. It is not for nothing that maple has recently been considered a symbol of peace and love, absorbing the energy potential of all mankind and distributing the acquired energy to everyone who comes into contact with it. Maple is a tree that helps insecure people gain self-confidence, gives peace of mind and inner strength. Also maple - symbol of the beginning of good luck, any undertakings, projects, ideas, career growth are also associated with maple. You will be amazed at how amazing this tree is in its properties.

Maple has a very gentle, soft energy, so the maple alley is a real bioenergy corridor. Walking along such an alley is extremely useful. accept the excess energy of a person, pacify anger, rage and make us self-possessed and balanced. Being an energetically neutral tree, maple is suitable for relieving stress and treating all kinds of diseases.

The maple leaf looks like a spread palm, and the five ends of the leaf symbolize the five senses. Using Maple Leaf ok as an amulet, you can help your five senses open up and perceive the beauty of the world around you in a more multifaceted way. Slavs decorated houses with maple branches in Christian rituals. The maple leaf was often depicted on Easter eggs.

Elena: not only the beginning of good luck, but also a symbol of balance. For restless people, contact with maple will bring balance, endurance, relaxation, calmness, self-confidence. It can take a person's grievances, tearfulness, emotional outbursts, impatience, anxiety. Maple branches, leaves and seeds have long been used to scare away evil forces and protect human habitation from an unkind look. Jambs of entrance doors, steps and railings of stairs were made from this tree, bridges were built over rivers. If you, friends, are taking on some new business, be sure to take maple as your assistant. They, like good friends, will caress you with their invisible hands, wrap you in a positive solar biofield.

Albert: Maple leaves are used in wishful rituals. It is necessary to find in the fall a clean, without damage, without yellow spots and green veins, a bright red maple leaf, wash it and dry it a little. Then, for example, about a loved one, some situation, mentally imagine that you are waiting for a meeting with this, and kiss the tips of the sheet. Place the sheet under the sofa or bed mattress. The magical effect of maple lasts throughout the year.

The fact that maple is a symbol of the beginning, we learned from the book Yulia Ulybina "Trees are healers" which we recommend to find and read.

Albert and Elena

Maple leaves, both in summer and autumn, amaze with their beauty.

This tree has mystical magic power, legends and tales are composed about it, used in magic, in traditional medicine, the maple leaf is the emblem of a famous country, and what a delicious maple syrup ...

In autumn, we instinctively, and sometimes - already almost traditionally - collect beautiful fallen leaves to put them between the pages of a book and preserve their fleeting beauty.

Carrying with us such a maple leaf as an amulet, we can help our five senses to open up and perceive more deeply the joys of life and the beauty of nature that surrounds us.

According to modern symbolism, maple means restraint.
For women, it symbolizes young man, slender and strong, kind and beloved.

In Ukraine, maple and linden were presented as a marriage couple, and the fall of maple leaves promised separation from the family.

For the Celts, the presence of a maple in most cases of two trunks was a symbol of the struggle for one's "I".

Maple is the symbol of autumn all over the world.

In China and Japan, the maple leaf is the emblem of lovers.

According to the traditions of Pennsylvania Germans, maple symbolizes the beauty of life.

When studied closely, the five-pointed leaves of most maple species resemble the outstretched five fingers of a human hand; in addition, the five ends of the maple leaf symbolize the five senses.

In the late sixties, the Canadian maple leaf also became a symbol of peace and love, appealing not only to our five physical senses, but also to the higher, spiritual ones.

THE MAGIC OF MAPLE

In general, our ancestors endowed all trees with certain magical properties.
Maple symbolized the ability to magical protection, love and material well-being.
It is also important what the furniture of our living room, bedroom, hallway is made of.
Wood is considered the undisputed favorite for magical properties.

Maple products bring love to our home.

Branches, seeds and leaves of maple were attributed Magic power protect a person and his space from all evil.
To scare away evil forces, maple fruits were buried under the threshold of the house, and a green branch was hung over the bed.
The maple leaf was often depicted on Easter eggs.
The stake used to pierce the heart of a vampire could be not only aspen, but also maple.

Maple is a tree that helps to find peace of mind for people of all types, brings calm, self-confidence.

It is a tree of inner strength and balance.

It is not touchy; takes over all emotional explosions, frees from boiling passions.
Maple A tree of solar-Martian nature.

In many beliefs, it represents the army of Light.

In many respects it is similar to ash, but its power is aggressive, effective.

Therefore, maple is used to create barriers to Darkness.

Sun disc carved from maple and hung over the door, maple steps at the entrance to the house, jambs front door from this tree - all these are protections from evil forces, often used in ritual buildings dedicated to bright, sunny deities.
Maple was used in the construction of bridges over running water.

Running water is an obstacle to dark forces, and the maple did not allow these forces to use the bridge.
Maple branches covering the barn, or stuck into the walls, protect livestock from the evil eye and spoilage.
Maple called good tree, believing that it is the seat of deities or demons. It was believed that maple brings happiness, protects from lightning, so it was planted near the house.
In Russia, in order to prevent the witch from entering the courtyard and the house, maple branches were plugged into the doors.
The maple arrow is believed to kill the undead.
In agricultural magic, maple branches were used to grow flax.

The use of maple wood as a talisman will give the ability to communicate in a company, contact.
Maple magic wands are used for cursing.
A staff made of maple is used in defensive magic.

There is a belief that there is a very strong connection between a person and a maple that grows near his house.

And as long as a person is alive and well, then the maple grows and turns green.

And if a person dies, then the maple dries up, leaves with him. After all, without a soul, life flows like sand through your fingers.

The magical powers of maple lie in the realm of love, longevity and attracting money.

In magic, it is believed that an evil sorcerer can turn a person into a maple.

Maple energy is very soft and caressing. He is able to hug and snuggle, while all the troubles disappear somewhere by themselves.
The power of maple can relieve nervous tension, excess aggression, and contribute to the harmonization of our entire being. It protects us from our own nervousness and explosiveness.

If you find a red maple leaf in autumn (without green veins and yellow spots).

It should be washed and dried a little.

Then, thinking about your loved one, mentally imagining everything you expect from meetings with him, kiss the tips of the leaf. Put it under the bed mattress or under the sofa. After the date, wrap the maple leaf in a red rag and hide it on the farthest shelf.
This rite gives rise in a person to a constant desire to see you again and again.
This maple leaf spell lasts for one year.

Maple is a melodious tree.

“Pull a ringing string on a dry branch of a wedge-tree, sing your daring song to me ...” is a frequent motif of ancient legends.

It was from maple that Sadko's harp was made.
In songs about a mother or poisoner's wife, sycamore (white maple) grows on the grave of a murdered son (husband).
And in the South Slavic tradition, where such songs are unknown, maple, nevertheless, is also thought to be involved in human destiny. According to Serbian beliefs, if an unjustly condemned person hugs a dry maple, the maple will turn green, but if an unhappy or offended person touches a maple green in spring, the tree will dry up.
According to an old tradition, when a house was built, a couple of maples were planted on its south side.

And since in the old days houses were almost always built with a facade to the south in order to receive more solar heat, trees were planted in front of the entrance to the house, and in summer their shade provided protection from the sun's rays.

Since the house was usually built when a new family was created, these trees were called "Groom" and "Bride". But, probably, in the old days, these two maples, under the protection of which the house was all year round, were called the trees of the god and goddess.
If maple leaves curl up and expose their lower surface to the wind, it will rain.

Maple sap has gone - the spring frosts are over.

To see a light maple tree in a dream means predicting an unexpected location of people you did not know before and some offers from them that are interesting and profitable for you.
Maple branches were used in the rites of the Trinity, Green Christmas time, Ivan's day.

In Polissya, Saturday before the Trinity was called “maple”, “maple Saturday”.

On a holiday, one or three trees were placed at the doors and windows, decorating the house with branches. It was believed that at this time the souls of deceased relatives come to the house and hide in the maple branches. After the holidays, trees and branches were not thrown away, they were burned or chopped for firewood.
In the legends of the Western and Eastern Slavs, maple is a tree into which a person is turned ("sworn").

It is for this reason that maple wood could not be used for firewood ("maple went from man").

MAPLE IN MEDICINE

Maple leaf juice is taken for medicinal purposes as a tonic, diuretic and antiscorbutic. (1 tsp 2-3 times a day).
Maple sap is not only delicious, but also a very healthy drink.

The first mention of it in folk "healers" refers to the XVI-XVII centuries.

Maple sap has been proven to help treat over 45 diseases.

In addition, it perfectly quenches thirst, tones the body.
Sweet maple juice (Klenovka) is drunk for scurvy and back pain (lumbago).
In the composition of maple sap, researchers found a substance that resembles some antibiotics in properties.
It is interesting that in some areas of Russia and Canada, in places of compact residence of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine, maple sap is used in folk medicine as a remedy for treating shallow wounds.
Probably, in this case, its disinfectant properties are manifested.
But juice is far from the only medicinal raw material “from maple”, which “is in the service in the ranks” of traditional medicine.
So, in the spring, during the sap flow, the bark of the roots and branches of the maple is also harvested.
Maple bark is used primarily as an astringent.
A decoction is made from the leaves and seeds, which has diuretic, antimicrobial, antipyretic and wound healing effects.
It is prescribed for diseases of the kidneys, upper respiratory tract, acute respiratory diseases, herpes, inflammation of the lungs and oral cavity.
And in such situations, you can "use the services" of crushed green leaves. Pre-treat the wound or ulcer with any antiseptic, and then apply a bandage with fresh leaves, which is changed daily.

The course of treatment is 5-7 days.
Fresh crushed leaves are applied to festering wounds and ulcers for cleansing and healing. Leaves and young shoots, boiled with vinegar, are used for poultices for painful sensations in the liver and spleen.
With a weak solution of the ashes of the bark, they wash their hair with scabs and ulcers.
An aqueous infusion or decoction of young leaves is used for jaundice, nephrolithiasis, scurvy, as a diuretic, antiemetic and tonic.

Maple broom in the bath

widely used, maple leaves and shoots have healing properties.
They contain ascorbic acid, alkaloids, tannins. Infusion and decoction of maple leaves can be used as an analgesic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory agent.
Crushed maple leaves are applied to wounds to heal.
The maple broom has the same properties.
It is flexible, biting, heats up well, absorbs sweat.
In addition, maple not only releases substances that are beneficial to humans, but also absorbs harmful ones - for example, benzene. For residents of large cities, apparently, this is especially useful.
The main plant of healers' baths is maple.
The Slavs considered it a tree of patience. It helps to acquire perseverance, get rid of excessive haste, impatience.

Myths and legends:

The banks of the Acheron River (Aceruntia - a stream of sorrow), an underground river through which the elder Charon transported the souls of the departed, were overgrown with maples.
Acrisius is the father of Danai, Perseus (Akrisionid) is the son of Danai.
The transformation of a man into a maple is one of the popular motifs of Slavic legends: the mother “cursed” the disobedient son (daughter), and the musicians walking through the grove where this tree grew made a violin out of it, which tells about the mother’s wine in the voice of the son (daughter).

Emblem Maple

The maple leaf is the emblem of Canada.

The sugar maple is recognized as the national tree of Canada, and its leaf flaunts on the coat of arms and the state flag of this country.

Gaining more and more popularity in Canada, the maple leaf began to be depicted already outside the coat of arms and flag, as an independent symbol of the nation.

A maple leaf flaunts on the sports uniform of hockey players of the Canadian national team.

The modern flag of Canada is a panel of three vertical stripes: red, white and red, in the center of the white stripe is a red maple leaf.

Recipes

Magic recipes

12 g of crushed bark is poured into 1 tbsp. water, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then insist 1 hour and filter. Drink with diarrhea 1/4 or 1/3 tbsp. 3 times a day.

A healing infusion can be prepared from crushed seeds (1 tsp), leaves (2 tbsp) and bark (1 tbsp). Pour the mixture into 250 ml of boiling water and insist in a water bath for an hour. Drink 50 ml 4 times a day for renal colic and other diseases of the kidneys and bladder as a tonic, but for colds and bronchitis, the infusion will act as an anti-inflammatory and expectorant. The same infusion is recommended to wash purulent and difficult-to-heal wounds.

Crushed leaves and seeds are mixed in equal proportions, take 1 tbsp. mixture, pour 1 tbsp. hot water, boil in a closed enamel bowl in a water bath for 30 minutes, insist 45 minutes, filter through 2-3 layers of gauze, wring out and bring the volume to the original. Drink 2 tbsp. 4-5 times a day for 20 minutes. before meals. It is prescribed for diseases of the kidneys, upper respiratory tract, acute respiratory diseases, herpes, inflammation of the lungs and oral cavity.

Boil 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried maple leaves in 1 cup of boiling water, insist on a hot stove for 1/2 hour, without boiling, strain, cool. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day. Used for jaundice, nephrolithiasis, scurvy, as a diuretic, antiemetic and tonic.

With impotence and prostatitis, they take such a remedy: Maple holly (plane-like). Young leaves, collected in June, are passed through a meat grinder. To the resulting 70 ml of juice, add 30 ml of 96% ethyl alcohol for preservation. Take 5-10 drops before meals for 3-4 weeks. Appointment and maple juice is shown.

Application in cooking:

1. A drink made from fermented maple sap is the sacred wine of sun worshipers.

2. Bread is baked on maple leaves in order to transfer the power of the Sun to the loaf and take away possible bad energy from the dough.

3. Maple sap is used to make soft drinks, kissels, sweet cereals, and in bakery.

3. Syrup and sugar substitute can be obtained from it.

4. Sugar maple owes its fame to the fact that it was the only source of sugar for local tribes living on the territory of modern Canada, and then for the first settlers from Europe. It was made from maple sap. In the 19th century In Canada, the production of maple sugar and syrup was established.
Maple sugar is obtained by boiling maple sap.

Maple syrup is also the boiled sap of the maple tree.

Maple is waving a green hand to me,
Invites you to go for a walk.
He throws notes at the window
How can you decipher his handwriting?

Trees today are not only a source of oxygen, human joy and part of the landscape, but also history and mythology. You will find many stories and legends about almost every tree. Believe them or not, everyone decides for himself. Unfortunately, due to insufficient time, we cannot afford to remember a lot of useful and interesting information. Today we will talk about the center of world ifology - maple, and about the myths associated with it.

The transformation of a person into a maple tree is one of the popular motifs of Slavic legends: a mother “cursed” a disobedient son or daughter, and the musicians walking through the grove where this tree grew made a violin out of it, which, in the voice of a son or daughter, tells about the mother’s fault...

Therefore, our ancestors never cut a maple tree for firewood and did not put maple leaves under bread in the oven ...

How I want to write about the green forest,
About the old, old, old maple.
He stands as if surprised by something,
It's like he's in love with someone.
It grows near an old gazebo.
Only the leaves sway in the wind.
The maple bowed its branches to the ground,
He gathers children around.
Children play, they only admire the maple,
And he rustles their leaves in response.
It seems to everyone that the maple is flaunting.
In fact, there is no worse maple.
He is alone among thunderstorms, rains and blizzards.
Although there is a forest nearby, it is not destiny for him to get there.
Maple understands how severe his illness is
And he has to be left alone.


Between a man and a maple growing in front of his house, there is an undoubted connection. While a person lives, the maple is slender and tall, the leaves on its branches are large and juicy. The old owner dies - and the maple dries up. Apparently, the ancestors or close people of a person live in such trees, after death they leave the orphaned place near the house. And the life from the maple that sheltered her also leaves with her soul. After all, without a soul, life flows like sand through your fingers.

A child who is passed through a maple tree will live a long time.

Back in the 19th century this belief in Russia was very popular in many rural areas of the country. The threading was carried out between the branches of the maple, and in this way all the children in the village were threaded.

According to Serbian beliefs, if a dry maple is embraced by an unjustly convicted person, the maple will turn green; if an unhappy or offended person touches a maple green in spring, the tree will dry up.

Maple was considered a donor tree with light magical powers.

This tree, which helps people find peace of mind, brings calm, self-confidence, a tree of inner strength and balance.

On Trinity, on the day God's Body and on other holidays, houses, outbuildings, gates, etc. were decorated with maple branches. It was a great sin not to decorate the house. Ancestors believed that on the holiday the souls of dead relatives fly to the living and hide in the branches.

The banks of the Acheron River (Aceruntia - a stream of sorrow), an underground river through which the elder Charon transported the souls of the departed, were overgrown with maples.

For the Celts, the presence of a maple in most cases of two trunks was a symbol of the struggle for one's "I". Maple is the symbol of autumn all over the world. According to modern symbolism, maple means restraint.

In China and Japan, the maple leaf is the emblem of lovers. According to the traditions of Pennsylvania Germans, maple symbolizes the beauty of life.

When studied closely, the five-pointed leaves of most maple species resemble the outstretched five fingers of a human hand; in addition, the five ends of the maple leaf symbolize the five senses. In the late sixties, the Canadian maple leaf also became a symbol of peace and love, appealing not only to our five physical senses, but also to the higher, spiritual ones.

For women, it symbolizes a young man, slender and strong, kind and beloved. In Ukraine, maple and linden were presented as a marriage couple, and the fall of maple leaves promised separation from the family.

More recently, in a golden outfit,
Lipa stood under my window,
And in front of her, slender and branchy -
Stood, blushing Maple.

They were intertwined with thin branches,
Whispered gently in the stillness of the night,
And the young Lipa said, -
- Be with me, my love!

And Maple, shaking its branches
She answered, “I love you forever!”
You, my dear, gave me happiness
And I can't leave you...

They were warmed by the gentle sun,
The prickly wind tore the leaves from them,
The autumn rains washed them away,
And fluffy snow - dressed up the branches.

And in joy, and in the torment were together -
Nothing can separate them.
Lipa stood - a white bride,
And next to Lipa is Maple-groom.

They were warm together in the evil cold,
Love warmed their hearts,
And there was no end to the great feeling.
Love and life had no end.

But the evil Winter decided to separate them,
She didn't like their love
She was angry that they had no power over them -
Snow storms, snowstorm and frost.

And Winter flew for help
(couldn't handle them alone)
Because of the cold White Sea
The cruel wind she called...

The wind crept up at night,
Thin Linden he bent and broke,
Maple, hugging its branches,
Lipu-love protected from him.

But from a gust of insidious Wind,
The linden broke - the dream faded away.
The wind and Winter laughed rather
She will never get up!

Maple bowed over his beloved
And a tear escaped from the branches, -
- The dark forces separated us,
Dear Lipa, my!

Time passed and spring melted
Gentle breath of ice and snow,
And afraid of the hot sun,
Over the sea with the Wind rushed Winter.

The kidneys swelled and cracked open,
The forests are covered with fresh greenery,
But remembering your beloved,
Maple will never bloom...



Maple is a famous symbol of Canada. Its leaf is like a five-pointed star - magic symbol earthly man (man-creator), health and love.
Maple binds kindred souls into a single whole, as if it absorbs the energy potential of humanity, in order to then distribute the acquired energy among those who fall into its zone of influence.

The Indians of North America knew about the excellent qualities of maple sap, which is not inferior to birch sap, long before Europeans appeared on the continent. In our time, maple sap is harvested in Belarus, Transcaucasia, Bashkiria and the Urals.

Getting maple syrup can be considered a traditional folk craft of the inhabitants of New England and the northeastern provinces of Canada. Long before arrival white man to America, the indigenous inhabitants of these places - the Indians used for food sweet juice sugar maple.

There are many legends about how the Indians discovered the wonderful nutritional qualities of maple sap.

One of them says that once upon a time, at the end of winter, the leader of one of the Iroquois tribes, having chosen a place to sleep for his people, plunged a tomahawk into a nearby maple tree. The next morning was sunny and warm. As the chief removed his tomahawk from the tree, maple sap began to drip frequently from the remaining notch into the clay bowl at the base of the trunk. The chief's wife did not pour out the juice collected in the bowl, but boiled meat in it for her husband for breakfast. The dish prepared in this way turned out to be very fragrant and acquired a pleasant sweetish taste.
In an effort to get a sweeter and more delicious drink from maple sap, the Indians thought of evaporating it. Having no metal vessels that could be placed on an open fire, they threw small stones red-hot on fire into pots and bowls filled with juice hollowed out of wood or made of birch bark. As a result, the water evaporated, and the juice became thicker, fragrant and sweet.
Since then, the Indians began to use maple sap for food. This tradition was picked up and developed by new settlers from Europe, who learned how to get not only thick syrup from maple sap, but also make sweets and crystalline sugar from it.


«

The old maple stands alone
All in musty moss.
At the edge of the ruins
And creaks wearily.
Remembering those years
When the wind is violent
Rustled the leaves in full,
Loose on the branches.
The children hid behind him
Behind the mighty trunk.
He wasn't like that then.
Old and creaky.
And when the spring thunder
The rain will hurriedly
All the lovers underneath
Kissed tenderly.
The old gentleman came
And clinging to the trunk.
As he spoke with his relatives,
Hiding tears, huddling...
But those years have passed
Maple did not give out secrets,
Everything stands alone in the darkness
Proud and open...


«

Maple energy is very soft and caressing. He is able to hug and snuggle, while all the troubles disappear somewhere by themselves.
Maple, as if caressing a person with its invisible hands, enveloping it with its biofield, so that it would be calmer and more convenient to live. When meeting with this tree, there is a quiet joy, similar to the feeling experienced when meeting with good friend.

But this tree does not like loneliness very much, it must be planted at least in a small group of 2-3 trees.
According to an old tradition, when a house was built, a couple of maples were planted on its south side. And since in the old days houses were almost always built with a facade to the south in order to receive more solar heat, trees were planted in front of the entrance to the house, and in summer their shade provided protection from the sun's rays.
Since the house was usually built when a new family was created, these trees were called "Groom" and "Bride". But, probably, in the old days, these two maples, under the protection of which the house was all year round, were called the trees of the god and goddess.

Maple is a melodious tree. “Pull the ringing string on the dry branch of the wedge-tree, sing your daring song to me ...”- a frequent motif of ancient legends. It was from maple that Sadko's harp was made.

The leaves on the old maple turned yellow,
And it looks like it's their turn
Fall down, and creep along the ground,
To become earth again in a year.

They were swirled by crazy leaf fall.
Openwork beauties fell,
And let them die
But their mortal outfit was beautiful!

And if to be like a leaf to me
Maple, then at the end of life,
I would leave no room for reproach
For the fact that I will go to another world,

And I would soar quietly, slowly,
Enjoying the last moment in life,
When, imbued with this inspiration,
He closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

Anton Kondratiev


In many beliefs, maple represents the army of Light. In many respects it is similar to ash, but its power is aggressive, effective. Therefore, maple is used to create barriers to Darkness. A solar disk carved from maple and hung above the door, maple steps at the entrance to the house, door jambs made of this tree - all these are protection against evil forces, often used in ritual buildings dedicated to bright, solar deities.

Maple symbolized the ability to magical protection, love and material well-being.

Branches, seeds and maple leaves were attributed magical power to protect a person and his space from all evil. To scare away evil forces, maple fruits were buried under the threshold of the house, and a green branch was hung over the bed. The maple leaf was often depicted on Easter eggs.

There is evidence that the stake used to pierce the heart of a vampire could be not only aspen, but also maple. The maple arrow is believed to kill the undead. A staff made of maple is used in defensive magic.

Maple is a tree that helps to find peace of mind for people of all types, brings calm, self-confidence. It is a tree of inner strength and balance. It is not touchy; takes over all emotional explosions, frees from boiling passions. Therefore, maple alleys are often planted near hospitals and mental hospitals.

The use of maple wood as a talisman will give the ability to communicate in a company, contact.

Trees played a special role in the life of ancient peoples. For every occasion of life, they had a certain tree that helped solve a vital problem, make a cure for diseases, and protect their home from evil spirits.

It's no secret that in many villages there are still women who heal diseases, help others in their personal lives with the help of the power of plants. I'm sure there will be a place for maple there too.

Maples are fantastically beautiful in autumn. Falling, golden and crimson leaves silently fall to the ground. That's what it is "... luxuriant withering of nature. Forests clad in crimson and gold".

I will decorate the windows with fallen maple leaves,
What dried in a notebook in memory of the summer.
The wind hurried to cut them off prematurely -
It serves autumn ... And she does not need maple green.

The domineering hostess changes the clothes of the trees,
Gilded, dressed in ocher and red,
Red, crimson added passionately to the palette:
So the handsome trees are ready, what you need!

The green maple served only the blooming summer,
He did not put on the promised mask of gilding,
Didn't want to change the emerald green paint
He remained devoted to his favorite summer color.

In the legends of the Western and Eastern Slavs, maple is a tree into which a person is turned (“sworn”). It was for this reason that maple wood could not be used for firewood (“maple went from a person”). It was impossible to make a coffin from its trunk (“it is a sin to rot a living person in the ground”). It was forbidden to put maple leaves under the bread in the oven (a palm with five fingers was seen in a maple leaf). The transformation of a man into a maple tree is one of the popular motifs of Slavic legends: the mother “cursed” the naughty son (daughter), and the musicians walking through the grove where this tree grew made a violin out of it, which tells about the mother’s wine in the voice of the son (daughter). In songs about a mother or poisoner's wife, sycamore (white maple) grows on the grave of a murdered son (husband).

And in the South Slavic tradition, where such songs are unknown, maple, however, is also thought to be involved in human destiny. According to Serbian beliefs, if an unjustly convicted person embraces a dry maple, the maple will turn green, but if an unhappy or offended person touches a maple green in spring, the tree will dry up. According to an old tradition, when a house was built, a couple of maples were planted on its southern side. Since the house was usually built when a new family was created, these trees were called "Groom" and "Bride". But, probably, in the old days, these two maples, under the protection of which the house was all year round, were called the trees of the god and goddess. Maple symbolized the ability to magical protection, love and material well-being. Maple was used in the construction of bridges over running water. Running water is an obstacle for the dark forces, and the maple did not allow these forces to use the bridge either. Maple branches covering the barn, or stuck into the walls, protect livestock from the evil eye and spoilage. Maple was called a good tree, believing that it is the seat of deities or demons. It was believed that maple brings happiness, protects from lightning, so it was planted near the house. In Russia, in order to prevent the witch from entering the yard and the house, maple branches were stuck in the door. To scare away evil forces, maple fruits were buried under the threshold of the house, a green branch was hung over the bed.

Maple leaves were often depicted on Easter eggs. The maple arrow is believed to kill the undead. In agricultural magic, maple branches were used to grow flax. They were stuck into the arable land, saying: "Lord, give us flax, like a maple tree." There is a belief that there is a very strong connection between a person and a maple that grows near his house. And as long as a person is alive and well, then the maple grows and turns green. Maple is a melodious tree. “Pull a ringing string on a dry branch of a wedge-tree, sing your daring song to me ...” is a frequent motif of ancient legends. It was from maple that Sadko's harp was made. Maple branches were used in the rites of the Trinity, Green Christmas time, Ivan's day. In Polissya, Saturday before the Trinity was called “maple”, “maple Saturday”. On a holiday, one or three trees were placed at the doors and windows, decorating the house with branches. It was believed that at this time the souls of deceased relatives come to the house and hide in the maple branches. After the holidays, trees and branches were not thrown away, they were burned or chopped for firewood. There are signs associated with maple: "If maple leaves curl up and expose their lower surface to the wind, it will be rain." "The maple sap has gone - the spring frosts are over." For women, it symbolizes a young man, slender and strong, kind and beloved. In Ukraine, maple and linden were presented as a married couple, and the fall of maple leaves promised separation from the family.

The maple leaf looks like an open hand. The botanical name "Acer" (Latin for "sharp") was given to the plant by the ancient Roman scientist Pliny. According to some researchers, maples grew along the banks of the river of sorrow, Acheron, through which the souls of the dead Greeks crossed on their last journey. In most cultures around the world, maple is considered a symbol of autumn. In Japan, this tree symbolizes eternity, learning, life wisdom. Therefore, it is often planted in their gardens by older people with great life experience. The Germans associate it with the beauty of life. Before the funeral, the Poles laid their dead on unpainted, it was believed that this would scare the devil away.

The Serbs believed that the maple would help restore justice: the tree would turn green from the embrace of an innocently convicted person. In folklore, maple is often called sycamore. It was believed that a person who was "sworn" turns into this tree. Therefore, just in case, they did not use maple wood for kindling the stove, making utensils and coffins, and when baking bread in the oven, they did not put maple leaves under the loaf.

But in the old days, the legendary harp was made from maple, and in our time - bassoons, guitars and drums. The Slavs believed that musical instruments from sycamore sing and cry, complaining about fate. On Trinity and other holidays, it was customary to decorate houses with maple branches so that the souls of dead relatives could fly to the living, hiding among the branches. Some folklorists are convinced that it was sycamore that was the sacred tree among the Slavs, since references to maple are found in all regions, and the use of the names of other trees has a pronounced localization.

in existed interesting tradition- "threading through maple". A newborn child was "threaded" between the branches of a maple tree so that his life would be long. Those who believe in the special energy of plants are convinced that maple is able to "caress" a person, bring peace of mind. The tree takes on human emotions, sometimes without our desire. Therefore, under the crown of a maple, it is good to relieve stress and it is bad to declare love. The maple alley has a particularly strong energy; it is not for nothing that they are often planted near hospitals and psychiatric hospitals.

A red maple leaf will bring love to your home, bewitch the chosen one. Sycamore branches and its seeds protect against dark forces: even a stake for punching a vampire's heart in legends could not be aspen, but maple. A maple bridge was built across the running water of the river so as not to let a witch or sorcerer through.

Symbol of Canada

However, there is a country for which the maple leaf is not a folklore, but an official state symbol. It flaunts on flags and coats of arms, coins and logos of leading companies. And, of course, the team of Canada's national sport - hockey - is dressed in a uniform decorated with a maple leaf. Why? The story is usually told that European settlers who arrived in North America saw a maple flaming red, and it became for them a symbol of a new life on a foreign mainland. However, maples grow almost all over Europe, and our "forests dressed in crimson and gold" also turn red and yellow in autumn.

Some see the maple leaf outline of Canada on a map. The most plausible is still the following version. The symbol of Canada was not maple in general, but a specific type of maple - sugar maple, Acer saccharum, which grows only in the East of Canada and has great importance in the national economy of the country.

The Slavs in the old days also extracted maple sap, it’s just that the type of growing maples we have is different, because the Russians did not use maple syrup, but kvass based on maple sap was very tasty. But back to the Canadians. Even the Indians extracted sap from trees and obtained sugar from it. Following them, white settlers began to engage in such fishing. From one tree, 50-100 liters of juice were obtained, from which up to 5 kilograms of sugar came out.

From maple sugar they made sweets, added it to ice cream, caramel and creams. To this day, Canadians eat pancakes, ham, and even pickles with maple syrup. In addition, today it has become a popular souvenir for tourists.

On the Canadian flag, the maple leaf symbolizes the unity of the country and he settled there not so long ago - in 1965.

Gardeners and furniture makers respect this tree. Leaves, branches, bark, flowers, maple sap are widely used in medicine. maples are popular with both school teachers and professional florists. Skillful bouquets of roses, collages, appliqués preserve the gentle energy of maple and will decorate any interior.

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