European Cranberry Bush
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
European Cranberry Bush
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture & Enhancement
Description
Viburnum opulus or guelder rose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. The common name 'guelder rose' relates to the Dutch province of Gelderland, where a popular cultivar, the snowball tree, supposedly originated. Other common names include water elder, cramp bark, snowball tree and European cranberry bush, though this plant is not closely related to the cranberry.
Mentions of the viburnum can be found throughout Ukrainian folklore such as songs, decorative art, Ukrainian embroidery, and poetry. Its symbolic roots can be traced to the Slavic paganism of millennia ago. According to a legend, kalyna was associated with the birth of the Universe, the so-called Fire Trinity: the Sun, the Moon, and the Star. Its berries symbolize one's home and native land, blood, and family roots. Kalyna is often depicted on Ukrainian embroidery: towels and shirts. In Slavic paganism kalyna also represents the beauty of a young lady, which rhymes well in the Ukrainian language. The song Chervona Kalyna was the anthem of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and a berry cluster is today an insignia of the Ukrainian Army.
Viburnum opulus is also one of the national symbols of Russia. In Russia the Viburnum fruit is called kalina and is considered a national symbol. Kalina derived in Russian language from kalit, which means "to make red-hot". The red fiery color of the berries represents beauty in Russian culture and together with sweet raspberries it symbolizes the passionate love of a beautiful maiden, since berries were always an erotic symbol in Russia.
Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition.
Image copyright 2019 by Jon Burch Photography.
Uploaded
April 14th, 2019
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