From ancient times, people's lives depended directly on the gifts of nature and crops. Initially, the gathering of fruits, berries, mushrooms and hunting were the main way of feeding the ancient people. Later they became tillers and began to grow plants in their fields. And as soon as people understood their dependence on the graces of nature, proverbs and sayings about plants appeared.
Sowing Proverbs
Spring has always been the most anticipated time of the year for people, since it was associated with the beginning of new field work, the end of hungry days and hopes for a future crop: "A green outfit pleases any look."
“Fertilize the land more - the harvest will be larger,” said wise people and they would surely feed the land on the day of Mitrofan Navoznik. “Without dung, father, do not wait for bread from Mother Earth,” that is how it has been customary for farmers since ancient times. They kept to nature’s clues about when to sow grain, plant vegetables in a garden, and knew exactly when it would be better to spoil. So there were proverbs about plants and folk signs: “If the earth is damp by the day of Ivan, the harvest is on bread”; “On Alyona this flax, egg, buckwheat, barley and late wheat, plant cucumbers”; "Beans are not mushrooms: if you don’t plant, they will not rise."
Much later, already in the 20th century, agricultural science appeared that explained how to grow crops using the latest technologies. But still summer residents plant vegetables in the open ground, relying on the wisdom of folk signs.
Proverbial Harvesting
A real holiday for the villagers was the harvest. It depended on him how the family or community survive the winter. “You missed time - you won’t catch up, but you’ll lose the harvest,” - so the sages used to say to careless people. “Sow with a large grain - you will be with bread and wine. It’s better to starve, and sow a good seed, ”they advised before sowing grain.
“Spring is beautiful with flowers, and autumn with sheaves,” everyone knew, young and old. It was full bins that were an indicator of prosperity and a guarantee of safety in winter, as proverbs say about plants, vegetables and fruits.
“Lunch without vegetables is like a celebration without music,” people said. “You can’t grow vegetables in the summer, you can’t cook the cabbage in the winter,” wise old men warned young hostesses.
The connection of people with the gifts of nature is traced by those proverbs and sayings that are rooted in the folklore of the peoples of the world. For example, in China they said: "By protecting seedlings, you save life." The Japanese believe: "A bad owner grows weed, a good one grows rice, a smart man cultivates the land, and a visionary educates a worker."
The list of proverbs about plants includes vegetables that have long been popularly known for their medicinal properties. For example: "Carrot adds blood"; “Garlic and onions will save from seven ailments”; "Greens on the table - health for 100 years"; "Onions cure 7 ailments, and garlic 7 ailments plague."
With such tricks, the elderly taught young people exactly what vegetables help to be healthy and strong.
Characteristics of people in plants proverbs
Often people used comparisons with the environment when they wanted to evaluate people's actions.
For example, in the proverbs “A tree is valued for its fruits, and people for deeds,” “A tree is rooted, and people are its friends” people are compared to trees. These precisely marked qualities convey the essence of the one to whom the expressions are addressed.
Such comparisons can be found in many proverbs of the peoples of the world.
"Scold yourself, not the sun, if your garden has not bloomed," the Tajik proverb says. Most often, such expressions relate to such a character trait as laziness and negligence. “Anyone who loves fruits must climb a tree to pick them,” the British say.
Many proverbs about plants show the stupidity or impatience of a person. For example: “Do not shake the green apple, when the fruit ripens, it will fall by itself,” say Italians to someone who does not have the patience to wait.
The peoples of the world are united in their proverbs and sayings about nature and its gifts. In fact, people on different continents do not differ so much if their folk wisdom teaches the same thing - to love their land, to honor the graces of nature and to give their work to it.
Proverbs about flora and fauna
For people who work on the land, vegetables, fruits and livestock are the breadwinners. Proverbs about animals and plants, invented in ancient times, are dedicated to them. Thanks to them, the older generation instilled in children a love of nature and the land on which their parents work.
“There would be a garden, and the nightingales would fly in,” the old people said to the young. And also taught them: “Forest - wealth and beauty, take care of your forests”; "Birds, guard animals - never offend."
Thanks to such proverbs and sayings, young people grew up who appreciated the gifts of the earth.
The role of proverbs in people's lives
In modern society, proverbs are used extremely rarely, and once they were a teaching and a guide for children and youth. Proverbs about plants helped to remember when to sow grain, plant vegetables and fertilize the earth, and when to harvest.
In this way, the old people accustomed children to work, developed qualities such as patience and zeal, weaned them from laziness. "Elnik, birch - why not firewood, bread and cabbage - what not food?" they said to those who were picky.
“Love the forest and nature, you will forever be nice to the people!” - This is the main theme of Russian proverbs about the world.