Funny Holidays - World Dandelion Day

Little suns on a stalk begin to bloom in May and June. The golden scatterings of the flower, which cover fields and meadows with the arrival of spring, give people aesthetic pleasure, filling the heart with warmth and joy. Ray Bradbury dedicated an entire story to the plant. The science fiction writer created a marvelous artistic image, writing: “Dandelion wine is summer caught and bottled.” An unpretentious perennial plant known for its healing properties, it is used for preparing food and drinks. The flowers are used to make jam, salads and snacks. An invigorating, coffee-like drink is prepared from the roots, which fills you with energy and vitality. Paying tribute to this amazing flower, May 13 is celebrated as World Dandelion Day. In honor of World Dandelion Day, the French wear yellow-green robes and prepare salads from smoked meats and plant leaves. In Belgium, beer is brewed from the sun on the stem, which is sold on the market along with honey, jam, yogurt and other dishes containing dandelions. Italian women also use the flowers, stems and roots of the plant for cooking. Americans not only make dishes from dandelions on May 13, but also decorate their clothes with them, inserting flowers into the buttonholes of jackets. Our ancestors, the ancient Slavs, called the plant dandelion, wind blower, airy flower, pustoduem, baldhead and kulbaba. Since ancient times, its healing properties have been used to treat the spleen, gall bladder and joints, improve digestion, and get rid of cirrhosis, gastritis and constipation. For its life-giving power, the flower, known as “grandmother’s grass,” was figuratively called the “elixir of life.” It used to be used to whiten skin and remove freckles. The plant is still widely used in cosmetology today. “The dandelion wears a yellow sarafan,” says a famous children’s poem. However, this is not always the case. Purple dandelion with lilac-pink flowers grows on the rocky slopes and fields of the Caucasus. In the Murmansk region there is a rare white-flowered Taraxacum leucoglossum - a species listed in the Red Book. And in the Tien Shan pink and purple dandelions grow. The plant is unpretentious, therefore it is found both in meadows and forest clearings, and along roads and on mountain slopes. Dandelions are considered the most punctual flowers: they open their yellow calyxes at exactly 6 am and bud at 3 pm. This way they protect pollen from getting dew at night. Sunflowers traditionally bloom in central Russia in late spring, and in early June the yellow cap turns white. This fluffy umbrella is very similar in shape to a parachute, since the design of the device is based on the principle of flight of dandelion seeds. The second time bright sparks of the sun on green grass can be seen in the fall, if it is unexpectedly warm and not rainy. World Dandelion Day is a good occasion to remind adults and children about the simple beauty and beneficial properties of this unpretentious plant. In honor of the holiday, wreaths are woven, bouquets are collected and dried for herbarium, salads and other dishes are prepared. In each country, World Dandelion Day is celebrated in its own way, invariably paying tribute to the amazing flower - a symbol of the sun and light, happiness and fidelity.