The meaning of the lotus flower
Vietnam's national flower has elegant beauty
Vietnam's national flower has elegant beauty
1. General introduction to lotus flowers
Lotus has the Sino-Vietnamese name Lien Hoa, scientific name is Nelumbo Nucifera. This flower has a very special meaning in the spiritual culture of Vietnamese people.
For thousands of years, the lotus has gradually come to life and exists in the hearts of every Vietnamese person as a symbol of sacredness and is always respected. Looking at this flower, we immediately think of the simple yet courageous image of the Vietnamese people.
Considered the national flower of Vietnam, that's why the lotus is so familiar and close to the people. You can see images of lotus anywhere in this beautiful country. And lotus is even more beautiful when combined with images of women's flowing dresses.
Although very popular, the origin of the lotus plant is not in Vietnam, but India was the first place to discover this flower in 1979. Then came other countries in the Asia-Australia region.
Lotus flowers are gymnosperms. They live under mud in the winter and only grow and bloom in the summer. The root is cylindrical and grows from the lotus root with many elongated branches coming out. Lotus stems are quite thorny and grow underwater.
In particular, the lotus leaves are green and large, shield-shaped, completely waterproof, spreading out like a hat to cover the soft flower. There are many different types of flowers from large flowers to mini ones and the colors are also very diverse. Each color of lotus has different meanings. Specifically, let's move on to the next part of the article with Elmich.
Lotus in Vietnamese decorative art
It is not known exactly when, the lotus - a beautiful flower with many profound meanings - entered the minds of Vietnamese people. The lotus appeared throughout the country's history as a symbol of nobility, purity and nobility. In ancient folk songs, the lotus was praised as a beautiful flower with a pure personality, "appearing immaculate" despite living in muddy places, still rising to radiate fragrance and beautifying life:
"In what beautiful dress with lotus
Green leaves, white flowers, and yellow stamens
Yellow stamens, white flowers, green leaves
Nearly mud that does not stink of mud"
Lotus as a cultural symbol is deeply rooted in the Vietnamese mind. Therefore, the image of the lotus flower is almost universal, appearing regularly in decorative projects. Artifacts from the past that have remained until now have shown many rich images of how generations of artisans expressed the lotus flower. That is why lotus is the subject that artisans favor when decorating products.
Lotus in Chinese art When talking about lotus, people think of Buddhism, so lotus has been treasured by everyone since the beginning when Buddhism was introduced to our country. Surpassing other flowers, the lotus especially has great significance for Buddhism, because the lotus carries noble qualities, close to Buddhist philosophy such as: impurity, purification, flavor. Modesty, purity, effort and patience. Besides, lotus is also used for pagoda ceremonies. People appreciate lotus flowers and love lotus flowers as a decoration in Vietnam
On worship products, images of lotus flowers appear in extremely rich and diverse designs in many stylized ways such as: worship statues, candlesticks, incense burners, altars, trays, plates, bowls, etc. The lotus flower is carved, carved, and cast on seemingly rough materials such as ceramic, wood, and metal, but still shows its softness and artistic sophistication, while exuding its inherent noble meaning. . Entering the first stage of Dai Viet civilization, a period when Buddhism was respected under the Ly dynasty (11th - 13th centuries) and Tran dynasty (13th - 14th centuries). The image of lotus flowers is almost everywhere in architecture, sculpture, household ceramics, and decorative ceramics to serve the needs of building pagodas and towers, building Hoa Lu capital and then Thang Long capital.
Particularly with the traditional art of ceramic decoration, the lotus flower seems to "live forever" with time even though life has gone through many hardships. Through each period of the nation's history, the image of the lotus has left its own mark, its own breath of the era on ceramic artifacts. They mark a continuous inheritance and creativity to always shine in the hearts of the nation.
