subject: How Come Is That Folks Stick Pennies In To Trees? [print this page] It happened to be a wonderfully sunny day last Sunday and therefore my family and I went strolling to a glorious place adjacent to Morecambe Bay called Arnside Knott. As we began our descent a female rambler close to to us called out I have got one. Truthfully I did not know whether or not to congratulate her or to phone for a medic. It turns out that the woman was referring to a penny the plan for which was that a child who happened to be with her would insert it in to the bark of a tree. What a unusual thing to carry out I thought.
Because of this on my return home I searched Wikepedia to ascertain if I may gain a bit more understanding. It transpires that this is really a widespread custom. For example a tree still stands adjacent to Ardmaddy House inArgyll,Scotland, ahawthorn, which is a type historically linked with fertility. The trunk and branches remain completely covered with countless coins which have been forced completely through the bark and into the heartwood. The local tradition is that a desire should be allowed for each of the coins treated in this way.
It would seem then the coin in question was in order to make a request in something thats referred to as a wish tree or wishing tree and that its a practice that has been carried on for years. The one particular note of warning however is the fact that anybody who removes a coin from the tree is likely to be infected with whatever illness the one had who inserted the coin in the bark in the very first place. Not merely living trees are used, as I've done an extensive crawl of public houses I am able to verify that some public houses, such as the Punch Bowl inAskham, nearPenrithinCumbria, contain ancient beams with fissures in them in to which coins are hammered for luck.
Additionally coin trees are not the only kinds of wishing trees. You'll also find Clootie Trees which occur close toClootie Wells, these were actually areas ofworshipinCeltic Regions. They arewellsorsprings, virtually always having a tree growing beside them, on which bits of cloth or rags have been left, commonly tied to the arms of the tree as part of ahealingritual. InScottishnomenclature, a "clootie" or "cloot" is a strip of cloth or rag. Alternative variations from this all over the world comprise
A tree inArgentinanamedWalleechu, decorated with items such as cigars, food, water, fabric, etc., hanging from the branches by bright fingers of coloured yarn
TheLam Tsuen Wishing Treescan be discovered inHong Kong. Here burnt joss paper tied to an orange is chucked in to the trees, in the belief that if the paper successfully hangs onto 1 of the tree branches, a wish is likely to come true.
Eglinton Castleestate has contained a wish tree for quite a few years, a yew tree on an isle in the Lugton Water, currently left high and dryon account of theweirgiving way.
TheChristmas treeis occasionally referred to as consisting of apagansymbol associated withtree worship, of course connected with favourable luck achieved by means of offerings (decoration) to andvenerationof special trees.
