Clover, the usual plant of meadows and vegetable gardens, it turns out, is not so simple. The flower has a very interesting ancient history, which you now have to meet.
Sacrament of the Trinity
Traditionally, a leaf of a clover consists of three halves-petals. And only very rarely come across with four halves. Perhaps, therefore, the meaning of four-leafed clover from ancient times had some magical connotation. It's like three or five-petals of lilac. Clover is a symbol of Ireland. According to the legends, the national hero of this country, Saint Patrick, with the help of such a leaflet, was able to explain to the heathen Irish the sacrament of the Holy Trinity. After all, one leaf meant God the Father, the second - God the Son, and the third - the Holy Spirit. After such a vivid preaching, many unbelievers and lost ones were baptized and came to Jesus. And what is the meaning of four-leafed clover, you ask. Wait, everything has its time. Since then, in areas where grass is not specifically sown, and it grows on its own and does not come across often, finding this plant is considered a great joy. After all, thanks to Saint Patrick, every petal on the sheet began to denote an important concept for any person. The first was equated with faith, the second - to hope, the third - to love. That is, such a finding marked the happy changes in personal and family life, the elimination of problems and much more. And now the meaning of four-leafed clover. If someone managed to find one, there was no limit to positive emotions. After all, the fourth petal symbolized the capricious-luck, which now itself went into the hands and promised to its ruler the innumerable earthly blessings. As for Christianity, the four-fingered leaf is associated with the cross, and the petal itself is associated with God's grace. So, even by religious standards, the value of four-leafed clover is the brightest, kindest, joyful.
Symbols of Prosperity and Luck
Horseshoe, rainbow, rabbit's foot, bells ... Is not it, familiar attributes. Can you add a twig of clover to them? Well, of course! After all, they are nothing but the ancient symbols of the luck of different peoples: the Irish and the Scots, the Slavs, the North American Indians, the English, etc. Let us dwell on the clover. Where did the unusual specimens come from with a couple of petals? According to the biblical legends, they came from a single bush with four-fingered sheets, which Eve took with him, leaving the blessed Eden. She brought on this sinful earth this symbol of holiness as a memory of the most carefree and beautiful time of human life. The four-leafed clover had a very special meaning in the beliefs of the ancient Celts. A twig of the plant on the door of the house was to protect its inhabitants from evil spirits and demons of the night. Departing from home and knowing that they will have to meet the dark time somewhere on the road, in the forest or field, people necessarily put piles of grass in their pockets. And if among the usual one came across a twig about the four petals, the traveler was perfectly calm for himself. Moreover, the mystical talisman meant that a sudden wealth, great profit and many other good things would come to the man. And the Slavs believed that the flower on Ivan Kupala possesses a particularly strong magical effect. Is this prejudice? Who knows ... But even today, having found such a twig, people are happy to make wishes and are confident in their unconditional fulfillment. And still very popular for a long time were ornaments with a talisman: pendants, earrings in the form of clover leaf, embroidery on clothes, household items and cult with such vegetable pattern.
Traditions from ancient days to ours
The leaf of clover, according to biblical canons, personifies in man the unity of the sublime soul, inner spirit and mortal body. This value was also invested in him by the Tibetan lamas. Religious shade had a plant and in the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. Hindus on the quatrefoil checked the sides of the world. The druids called the clover the flower of the vernal equinox. And in China, according to the natural calendar, summer came with its flowering. Many European nations have a tradition - to sow clover seeds on graves. Therefore, he is also a symbol of farewell to the dead, a symbol of memory of them.