Palm Fronds

"Palmam qui meruit ferat" Latin for, "Let him bear the palm who has deserved it". The symbol of peace, on this the anniversary of 9-11-2001.

"No man with a man's heart in him, gets far on his way without some bitter, soul searching disappointment. Happy he who is brave enough to push on another stage of the journey, and rest where there are living springs of water, and three score and ten palms." Quotation #8222 from Poor Man's College

Day 4 My Sacred Life...I love palm trees and I love palm fronds. The graceful and strong palm branch or palm frond, usually refers to the leaves of the Arecaceae sometimes known by the names Palmae. A frond is a large leaf with many divisions, and the term is typically used for the leaves of palms, ferns or cycads. Palms are regarded as the ‘princes’ of the plant kingdom.

Palms are ancient land plants, with fossils dating as far back as the late Cretaceous (85 million years ago). Palms are long-lived, woody plants that bear a distinctive crown of leaves. The palm branch is a symbol of triumph and victory. Romans rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military successes with palm branches.

I will never live in a home without a palm tree again...they give me peace and shelter my hopes and dreams... as in Solomon's palace... “For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about." 1 Kings 7:36

The date palm represents peace and plenty in Judaism. The palm may also symbolize the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Muhammad is said to have built his home out of palm, and the palm symbolizes rest and hospitality in many cultures of the Middle East. The sacred tree in Assyrian mythology is a palm that symbolizes Ishtar connecting heaven, the crown of the tree, and earth, the base of the trunk. Palm stems represented long life to the Ancient Egyptians, and the god Huh was often shown holding a palm stem in one or both hands. The palm tree was a sacred sign of Apollo in Ancient Greece because he had been born under one in Delos. In ancient Mesopotamia, the date palm may have represented fertility in humans. The Mesopotamian goddess Inanna, who had a part in the sacred marriage ritual, considered herself the one who made the dates abundant.
To see the beautiful palm trees of The Montgomery Palmetum click here. “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Psalm 92:12

On 10 April 1688 it was decided by the Congregation of Rites that the palm when found depicted on catacomb tombs was to be regarded as a proof that a martyr had been interred there. On later monuments the palm was represented merely as an ornament separating two scenes. Palms also represented heaven, evidenced by ancient art often depicting Jesus in heaven among palms.

Today, the palm, especially the coconut, remains a symbol of the stereotypical tropical island paradise . Palms appear on the flags and seals of several places where they are native, including those of Malta, Haiti, Guam, Florida and South Carolina.

There is a palm game in The Palm Story here.
Some info from Wikipedia and the Viirtual Palm Encyclopedia

http://rabbit.eng.miami.edu/~andrew/pics/fairchild/palm_fronds-small.jpg

Today's aMUSEment - using the above photos, draw or paint a palm frond.

U Be Creative Today!