Ivy is an evergreen plant, distributed throughout forests, parks and in the home environment.
In folk medicine, we use only leaves, consumption is not recommended. However nowadays, we know that ivy tea helps with irritating coughs and coughs.
It is also used to treat skin diseases, rheumatism, gout. It also accelerates the excretion of bile.
Already our distant ancestors used ivy tea for rinsing against yeast infections and scabies, and the effectiveness of this type of use is also confirmed by modern science.
Already in ancient times, ivy was a very popular plant in protection against evil forces.
In Egypt, ivy was considered an attribute of Osiris, the god of fertility and ruler of the kingdom of the dead, and also accompanied Dionysus or. Bacchus.
In Sovenia, ivy was hung on houses to protect against storms, hail and other inconveniences.
If people once wanted to protect themselves from fire, they symbolically burned ivy in a stove.
Ivy plays an important role in our autochthonous, Slovenian, ancient religious rituals, especially in the spring.
When the trees begin to awaken, we remember Dajbogec, the god “who gives”, who originates from the karst area. In a consecrated stone circle divided into four parts, four girls walked in a circle, singing a ritual song and stayed connected to each other by ivy twigs. In other parts of our country, however, we know dressing in greenery including ivy is very widespread during the t.i. “jurjevanje” which is a remnant of the olden rituals of spring (23th or 24th April) when we look up to god Jarilo/ slovenian “Jarnik” (from the root “jar” (that means young or, healthy or fertile), that makes the land green and sets a new milestone in a cyclical year when the true spring begins with outdoor work.
Ivy is as a symbol of resurrection, new potent energy and rebirth.
author: Irena Petrič
artwork: Irena Petrič / taken from 2021 mythological calendar