A symbol of peace and longetivity
For those who love the look of the coastal, perhaps the accent of coastal birds may lend a lovely addition to the home. I personally adore the use of crane or heron statues for creating the look of the coastal theme. These lovely but shy birds add a peaceful addition to the home and garden. Their tall and graceful presence are beautiful choices for adorning the home; and there are so many kinds of home accessories and statues that have a beautiful way of using these birds to add an impression. These range from exotic wall décor that include wall plaques and friezes to vases and urns and naturally, a multitude of outdoor suggestions using the look of these birds for use as fountain statuary and garden statues from small figurines to life size pieces. Sculptors create these exotic birds in mostly resin and sturdy metals like aluminum, brass and bronze.
There are many interesting ideas about the symbolic importance of these birds. Cranes are thought to carry symbolic meanings and are highly revered in several cultures. The Chinese and Japanese attach much symbolic meaning towards cranes considering them as auspicious and denoting longetivity and peace. Chinese believe that the cranes live up to 1,000 years and hence, beautiful paintings of the cranes and the use of the crane symbols were revered and respected in Chinese culture. Those who were granted immortality were taken to the heavens atop the back of a crane. The Celts consider the herons and cranes as messengers of the Gods and possessing superior intelligence. According to the Celtic mythology, cranes predicted the storms and are thought to be the first birds to greet the sunrise. The Celts also believed that cranes were humans who were redeeming themselves for committing wrong doings in their human lives. There are also references to the Celtic Father God of the Sea, Lir, who made his bag from the skin of the crane. For the Native Americans, the heron symbolizes self-determination and a desire to achieve and progress. Herons balance themselves well on their long legs and in the Indian culture, this means that achievement exists by will and not by form. And for the Maoris of New Zealand, the white heron is associated with mythical powers due to their grace and beauty.
Perhaps, because of the many symbolic representations of the cranes, many of us present cranes as gifts for a wedding or anniversary. Central to this idea is that cranes are thought to be very loyal to spouses. After all, they mate for life and what better symbolic meaning to offer than a blessing to the couple with the gift of a set of cranes. Most of our customers love presenting cranes in pairs to symbolize the longetivity and eternal union of the betrothed. Strangely, although herons are thought to be very family bound, there isn’t that much emphasis on presenting them as gifts for new couples than the emphasis is with cranes. I cannot discount herons – they are beautiful wading birds which make an impression and are certainly represented in several cultures very symbolically. Undeniably, these lovely birds are beautiful choices for a coastal décor look or as eternal gift ideas for a wedding and anniversary.
Written by Shari G. for MyGardenGifts.com
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