BANANA

BANANA

LATIN NAME: MUSA PARADISIACA

HOMELAND: INDIA

Lord Ganesh's Wife

It was brought from its homeland India to the Middle East by Arab traders in the 4th century BC and from there it came to South America thanks to the discoveries traveling west. Banana is perhaps the first fruit to go from the old continent to the new. Banana is not actually a tree, but a thick-trunked fruit-bearing plant. Banana fruits were associated with fingers by the Arabs and were called "Banan", which means finger in Arabic, and from there it evolved into its worldwide known name Banana.

The botanical record of banana was made by Carl Linnaeus, and the prefix MUSA, which is placed in front of all its species, comes from the Latin word MUSE, meaning muse. In fact, the first species he described, Musa Paradisiaca, means muse of heaven. It is thought that Carl Linnaeus was influenced by the important role of banana in both the folklore of India, its homeland, and the complex world of gods in Hinduism when he gave this name.

In Hindu mythology, the story of banana begins when Rishi Durvasa, one of the powerful sages devoted to the greatest goddess Shiva, got angry with his wife and turned her into a plant. Realizing that she would not be forgiven, his wife begged Rishi Durvasa to turn her into a beautiful and sacred plant, and Rishi Durvasa reduced her punishment and turned her into a banana tree.

The fact that the mother of Lord Ganesh, one of the most beloved gods of Hinduism, the elephant-headed god, married a Banana Tree in order not to suffer from poverty and always have something to eat makes the Banana Tree the most important symbol of a happy and fruitful marriage in Hinduism. Banana, the most important ornamental and treat fruit of wedding ceremonies, is also the most important votive fruit in the worship ceremonies held for Lakshimi, the goddess of luck, who especially loves sugary delicacies.

Considered perhaps the most sacred fruit in regions where Hinduism is widespread, bananas have found a place in almost all religious ceremonies, and the most common of these is the ritual of watering, which is performed by circling around them on Thursdays.

Although bananas came to South America after the discoveries, it was not long before a story emerged in Brazilian folklore that goes back to the times when the world was newly created. In this story, there is an old woman who had to abandon a large banana garden to monkeys. After that, the monkeys believed that all the bananas belonged to them. Today, there is a tradition in Brazil for someone who eats too many bananas to say “I am a monkey” in order not to anger the monkeys.