What is the flower language of jacaranda (a brief description of the legend and meaning of jacaranda)

It is spring in South Africa, which is located in the southern hemisphere. It always comes in a fairy-tale blue and purple coat. The blooming of jacaranda adds a splash of color and romance to this dry season. Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, is known as the "City of Jacarandas". This plant has crossed the ocean from the Americas and bloomed in the southernmost tip of Africa. It has multiplied and grown, creating a spring scene that cannot be missed on this planet. Jacaranda has been integrated into people's lives, culture and politics in South Africa. It has many beautiful meanings, but also has many not-so-beautiful connotations hidden behind it.

From two trees to 65,000 trees

There is a sign on Sellicks Street in Pretoria commemorating the death of a man named Sellicks in 1888. The first two jacaranda trees planted in the city were brought by a traveler from Brazil. It is believed that many of the city's jacaranda trees originated from these two "mother trees".

These plants, native to Central and South America, have spread rapidly on dozens of streets in Pretoria with their strong vitality and even invasiveness, forming a magnificent urban landscape. , which is very surprising. In 1939, people surrounded the two mother trees and placed commemorative plaques, which were unveiled by the then Mayor of Pretoria.

According to data from South Africa's "Arcadia" magazine in December 2021, there are about 37,000 jacaranda trees on the central streets of Pretoria, and there are as many as 6.5 in the city and surrounding areas combined. Thousands of trees.

Before the rainy season, it is the hottest and most unfriendly season of the year in South Africa. People's lips are chapped and their throats are tight; plants will die without watering for a day. In a season like this, driving slowly through the quiet blue-purple tunnels is a rare nourishing and healing experience.

Famous for its ethereal blue-purple flowers, jacaranda's name comes from the Portuguese word meaning "sweet, fragrant." The unique bell-shaped flowers grow in clusters, and dozens of small bells can be hung on one branch. Their leaves are similar to ferns, opposite, and dark green in color. When the flowers are at their peak, there are almost no leaves visible, and the trees are covered with flowers, making it feel like you are in a grand arch at a wedding venue. A breeze blows in the face, and the fallen flowers are colorful, woven into a purple carpet, and the sky and the earth are enjoying the beauty of spring.

The quiet and romantic atmosphere of jacaranda is inevitably reminiscent of cherry blossoms. The difference is that the jacaranda tree is taller, up to 10 meters, the flowers are more prosperous, and the flowering period is much longer. From the end of September to the beginning of November (spring to early summer in the southern hemisphere), people can enjoy it for a full 8 weeks. . According to data from the South African Tourism Department, as many as 80% of guests in Pretoria hotels in October were tourists, many of whom traveled across the world just to go on a date with Jacaranda.

A symbol of wisdom, rebirth and wealth

There is a beautiful legend about the Jacaranda. A beautiful bird named Mittu landed on a jacaranda tree and brought with him a lovely woman. This woman is none other than the Moon Goddess. She came down from the tree, ate and lived with the villagers, and taught them knowledge and virtues. After completing her mission, the Moon Goddess returned to the jacaranda tree and returned to the heavenly palace.

Jacaranda means "wisdom and knowledge". So when jacarandas were brought to South Africa, they were mostly planted in and around university campuses. And because the season when jacarandas bloom is the exam season in South Africa, there is also a saying of the "blue-purple panic". There is a saying in South Africa "If the jacarandas are in bloom and you haven't started revising, then sorry, you won't pass".

On the weekend, the author wanted to make an appointment with a South African friend to enjoy the jacarandas together, but she said embarrassedly, “I don’t dare to go.” It turns out that some students in South Africa believe that if a jacaranda falls on your head, it means you are going to fail the exam. But interestingly, some people believe that the falling jacaranda symbolizes the coming of good luck. Since the jacaranda blooms in early spring after a dreary winter, it also heralds rebirth, vitality, creativity, hope and wealth.

The paradox of good luck and bad luck

Jacarandas are being planted more and more all over the world, but there is still no place where they are as deeply integrated as Pretoria. cultural and political life of local people.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela mentioned jacaranda in his book "Long Walk to Freedom".

He said that during the trial he and the other men on trial were allowed to have lunch in a nearby garden and "those moments in the shade of the jacaranda trees on the lawn of the vicarage's office were some of the most enjoyable moments of the trial".

In his inaugural speech in May 1994, Mandela mentioned the jacaranda again: "Each of us is like Pretoria's famous jacaranda and the mimosa in the bush. , closely connected to the soil of this beautiful country”.

The meaning of jacaranda ranges from "good luck" to "bad luck", so it is not always popular. One reason is that the liquid in jacaranda can irritate the eyes and make people prone to pink eye. There is another reason. In 2001, South Africa declared jacarandas a "Category III invasive species" and completely banned their cultivation, warning that they would crowd out local flora. The deeper reason behind this is that some groups believe that jacarandas "reflect the history of colonialism and apartheid", when foreign trees - like foreigners - were considered superior here. Pretoria was once the core area of ??South Africa's apartheid system, and it was also a forbidden area and nightmare for black people.

Until 2014, South Africa changed its stance on jacaranda. Nelliswa, director of the South African Tourism Center, said: "Pretoria is now home to a growing number of black civil servants and foreign embassy staff, who have infused the city with a new sense of multiculturalism. No other A tree can cover Pretoria with gorgeous colors like the jacaranda. “A plant brought by the colonizers took root and bloomed in the soil and sunshine of South Africa, becoming the exclusive preserve of the rich. The scenery of everyone witnessed a country's transformation from difference to tolerance.