Embedded Files
JAPAN
In Japan, there is a very big festival known as Tanabata. At its core, this festival and tradition is focused on the concept of love and lovers on the earth plane. Generally people celebrate Tanabata by writing wishes on small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo trees, sometimes with accompanying decorations or offerings. The use of trees came in during the Edo period, during which the tradition of hanging them on bamboo trees appeared. The act of placing ones deepest wishes and hopes on a tree branch is more than just a beautiful activity, it is metaphorical. Bamboo is believed to have been adopted because of its tendency to grow straight and tall, with allowing the wishes to travel to heaven. Bamboo has also long signified a bountiful harvest in Japan and other parts of the world.
UNITED KINGDOM
In the UK, instead of people leaving notes, they leave coins. Strange as it sounds, coins have been hammered into old trees all over UK woodlands. The trees used are generally old or already felled trees, and according to some this strange tradition dates back as far as the 1700s. It’s believed that divine spirits dwell in these trees and that if a sick person pressed a coin into the tree, their illness would go away. It’s also been said that it brings fortune.
SCOTLAND
In Scotland the practice of tying cloths to trees, is known as “clootie wells.” The cloths were soaked in a nearby well, and then hung on the trees as offerings.
IRELAND
Wishing Trees (aka May Bushes, Fairy Trees, or Rag Trees) are hawthorn trees where people tie ribbons to ask blessings from the local saints/deities/wee folk. The hawthorn flowers in May, which is the time of the Beltane festival celebrating the beginning of summer. Local people still tie ribbons or strips of colorful cloth to the wishing tree as a symbol of their prayers or wishes. May bushes were usually associated with a holy well, but time has often dried up or filled in many of the wells. The wishing trees that still grow beside known holy wells tend to be used year-round.
Hill of Tara
A Fairy Tree grows along the ancient boundary wall that surrounds Tara, the seat of the High Kings in County Meath. The ribbons and colorful items tied to the tree are known as clooties.
TURKEY
Wishing Trees (Dilek Agaci) have a long history in Turkish folklore. In rural areas in Turkey people still visit "wishing trees" to tie fabric tokens or paper tags with wishes and reflections written on them. These offerings are left so the visitor's dreams will come true.
You can see them all over Turkey, recognizable by their many colorful pieces of cloths and scarves tied around their branches in rural areas. In some places, you may also see nazar hung from Wishing Trees.
HONG KONG
The Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree is in Hong Kong. It is a tradition to make red or yellow papers called "Bao Die" on which people write down their names, dates of birth and wishes. Then they roll the papers and tie them with weights (usually an orange) and finally toss them up onto the Wishing Tree. Legend has it that if the "Bao Die" does not fall down, a wish would come true. Otherwise, the wish is said to be too greedy.
NATIVE AMERICANS
For Native Americans, the trees were honored as a way of upholding their sacredness. Native Americans would come from all over to pay respects to a ponderosa pine tree. They would hang items from its branches such as ribbon, meat, tobacco, coins. The more people honor something, the more sacred it becomes. – Source, The Telegraph UK
Report abuse