The unbelievable truth about celery: nutritious but the old tang ... flower hair

"Funeral hair" needs to be understood literally, because Western culture uses celery flowers in funerals.

Do you like celery (celery) vegetables ? To be fair, this is a vegetable that is not too tasty, but very nutritious with many different uses.

But do you believe that this nutritious and harmless plant has a history of mourning?

In fact, you should understand the word "mourning" literally. Because the ancient people used celery's flowers to make funeral flowers.

Picture 1 of The unbelievable truth about celery: nutritious but the old tang ... flower hair
This is the celery flower.

Flower tree - signifies eternity

Back in the period of ancient Greece, the wild celery species in the Mediterranean region had soft and bitter parts compared to those grown today.

The dark body color, along with the pungent aroma of celery, has made the ancients think that this plant comes from a concept called "chthonic" - roughly translated as "underground" in Greek.

Picture 2 of The unbelievable truth about celery: nutritious but the old tang ... flower hair
The statue of Hades and Persephone, in which Persephone is said to be holding a celery branch.

For this reason , celery flowers have become an integral part of the burial of the Greeks . Before being buried, inside the coffin of the dead and the grave are always put the bundles of celery around to show respect, and they will be wearing wreaths made from this tree.

Why use celery flowers?

There are many assumptions that are posed around this custom. Robert Garland, a Greek literary expert, says this is a way to "show dignity and glory to the dead in the process of burial".

According to Garland, the documents of some ancient philosophers mentioned this custom. As the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder points out that first-century celery never appeared on the table, as it was only used for funerals.

The intimacy between celery and death is also mentioned in the Greek vocabulary. The phrase "deisthai selinon" or "celery needs" implies that someone is near death.

"In the Greek outlook, the relationship between celery and death is very close to each other" - according to the Greek writer Corinne Ondine Pach.

And another meaning .

However, in addition to the meaning of mourning, celery also includes another meaning written in an encyclopedia about plants, which is victory .

In the great games of the time, the winner was given a celery garland, symbolizing their glory.

In addition, due to some errors in the translation of recorded history, celery and parsley (with the same family Apiacea) were later understood by Europeans that both of these plants worked . more demons !