"Kalyna" Painting

"Kalyna" This is how viburnum sounds in Ukrainian. Viburnum has long been considered a symbol of love, happiness, beauty, and respect in Ukraine. Bright red fruits on the viburnum burn with a ruby necklace throughout the long, cold winter. And if you look carefully at the grain removed from the berry, you can see that it resembles a small heart. Viburnum symbolizes motherhood: the bush is the mother herself; flower, berries - children. It is also the personification of home, parents, and all relatives. The viburnum near the mother's house is not only a beauty, but also our protector. Viburnum was used to make cradles for babies. In national Ukrainian symbolism, the viburnum represents girlish beauty and grace, femininity, family well-being and prosperity. Perhaps, this is where the folk epithets and similes come from: "A girl like a viburnum in a meadow"; "beautiful as viburnum"; "a girl grows up like a viburnum blossoms"... Viburnum was considered a "wedding tree" and was an obligatory participant in the wedding ceremony. It was decorated with wedding cakes, wedding towels, the bride's clothes to emphasize her purity and virginity, as well as the groom's clothes and wedding wreaths. Festive tables were decorated with viburnum branches. Room towels are also abundant with lush clusters of viburnum. At the christening, the viburnum was stuffed into a kalach. Viburnum was placed in the baby's first bath. Viburnum fruits became a symbol of the courage of people who gave their lives to fight for Ukraine. Therefore, viburnum symbolizes courage and indomitable spirit in the struggle for the independence of the native land, a noble urge to fight for freedom and human dignity.