And how long has the birch been a symbol of Russia?

If you ask a modern Russian schoolchild about the character most fully characterizes his country, he will answer without hesitation: "Birch". Yes, in each state there is an officially approved flag, anthem and coat of arms. But there are also generally accepted symbols - images of animals, birds or trees. For example, in Ukraine - it's red bunches of viburnum, and in Moldova - a brush of grapes. Symbols also have cities. And they often do not match the image on the coat of arms. For example, in Kiev in the official city sign there is an angel, and the symbol of it is a sheet of chestnut. So anything can happen. And why is our birch a symbol of Russia?

This tree is different from others with its white trunk. In all the European North - from the Scandinavian peninsula to the Urals, the birch was revered. Especially it was loved by Finno-Ugric tribes, for whom this tree was the object of worship. By the way, this love is expressed in the fact that the name Birk exists, which means "birch". And in the German runic letter 18th letter of the alphabet - Berkana - was interpreted as a symbol of fertility and growth. In Celtic druids, the tree is included in the horoscope (people born in the period from December 24 to January 20, were under the protection of birch and sun). But the ancient Slavs to the snow-white tree with a green curly crown were dual. In it, it was believed, is an evil force. Why is a birch a symbol of Russia, if our ancestors associated a tree with death?

Russian proverbs and riddles speak about the benefits of this plant. For example: "Which tree brings four benefits: the first - health to the sick, the second - the well to people, the third - to the light of the eyes, and the fourth - to the dead diaper?" We decipher the riddle: the birch broom expels the body from the body, juice can quench your thirst, light the beacon Dwelling. But what does it mean - the swaddling of the dead? The fact is that the deceased were put into the house, wrapped, instead of shroud, birch bark. Thus, in ancient Slavs birch is a symbol of death or unhappiness. Earlier, houses were not planted in a grove of white-stemmed trees, and such a beauty was not planted on the farmsteads, believing that the marriage of those living nearby would be unhappy. It was believed that to throw in the oven birch logs - to bedbugs in the house, and that the witches fly on brooms made solely of this tree. And in the green curly-leaf foliage hiding mermaids. Sergei Yesenin became the first who changed the attitude to this tree in the mass consciousness. It is because of his lyrics that the birch is a symbol of Russia. The poet devoted a lot of warm words to this tender tree. His verses were read by Russian emigrants in distant exile. On the Cote d'Azur or among the Alpine lakes, these people yearned for a forever lost homeland. For them, the birch forest, which is constantly mentioned in Esenin's works, has become a symbol that gives birth to nostalgia. Thus, the negative perception of this tree seems to have been forgotten, but the positive remains.

Now we can recall that in the language of Kievan Rus the white-barbed beauty was dedicated to the name of the month - March. By the way, in modern Ukrainian it is "birch", a time when birches are crying. You can also recall the ancient ritual feast, which was once celebrated in Russia - the Seven (Thursday the seventh week after Easter). On this day, the girls went to the grove and tied the tops of young birch trees, decorating them with ribbons. At the same time, they conducted dances and sang songs. Slim and flexible in light sundresses among the summer foliage, they themselves resembled a white-beaked tender tree. Therefore it is very good that the birch is a symbol of Russia, because it was always a symbol of the Slavs' revival.