Prolećna ravnodnevnica nas ove godine očekuje u subotu 20. marta. Ovaj događaj obeležava astronomski prvi dan proleca na severnoj hemisferi
The spring equinox awaits us this year on Saturday, 20 th March. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the northern hemisphere
75 različitih vrsta visibaba postoji i sve su bele / different species exist and they are all white
We welcome the little bells of Sretenje! When you see little white heads emerging through the snow, strong and determined to survive the harsh nature, you know that winter is coming to an end and new life and hope are being born! Spring is on its way… A ccording to legend, when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and started losing hope that the icy winter would never pass, an angel appeared and turned the snowflakes into snowdrops. This was a sure sign that winter would give way to spring! It is also said that a flower sim-
ilar to the snowdrop, mentioned in books as the moly, helped Odysseus after the Trojan War and protect- ed him from oblivion. Wandering aimlessly after the war, this hero landed on a small island that was home to the daughter of the Sun, a sorceress who had been banished to remain there forever. Of course, she tried to make Odysseus stay, but the gods helped him. Hermes brought him a moly, a small white flower that grew in a nearby forest,
and saved him from oblivion. It turns out that the mo- ly and the snowdrop are one and the same, with bulbs that are poisonous but can be used in small quantities to help with early Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. They were only formally discovered in Serbia in the 19 th century, by Josif Pančić. The Serbian name for them, visibabe [hanging granny], was popularised among the people long before him, because the bent stalk resembles a hunched over grandmother. They are also known in Serbian as “Sretenjski zvončići” [Candle- mas mini bells], while in English they are called snow- drops (drop being an old name for tear drop shaped pearl earrings). They grow throughout Europe and Asia. As many as 75 different species exist and they are all white! Still, despite all these facts, legends and images, it’s much more important to go for a walk in a near- by forest and enjoy this gift of nature! Snowdrops are here for a very short time. Enjoy their fragrance and rejoice because spring is on its way.
They are also known in Serbian as “Sretenjski zvončići” [Candlemas mini bells], while in English they are called snowdrops (drop being an old name for tear drop shaped pearl earrings) Poznate su i kao sretenjski zvončići, a na engleskom su snowdrops (snow – sneg, drop – stari naziv za minđuše)
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