Birds are often connected with Christmas. Just think of all the birds mentioned in the carol "The twelve days of Christmas", the partridge, the turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, geese, and swans.
Popular birds are also the robin, particularly in the UK where it is the unofficial national bird, and the cardinal, mostly in the US.
What made the robin a Christmas bird? In fact there is a story about "Robin Redbreast" giving its name to Victorian postmen and thus earning its spot on Christmas cards, but there are also several other legends, one of them about the robin protecting the Christ child from the fire when it got too hot, one of them about the robin kindling the fire when it was about to go out. In both legends the robin singed its breast and it turned red.
It seems that the cardinal also earned its spot by being bright red, a color that is often said to symbolize Jesus' blood. I have read several posts about people saying that a cardinal on the tree is a tradition because it's a symbol of hope and is supposed to bring good luck and peace to the family.
So today I went bird watching on Zibbet again and this is what I found for you.
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| Cardinal painting by Lighthearted Dreamer |
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| Quilled robin picture by Quilling by Sandra White |
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| Cardinal painting by Dusty Shamrock Studio |
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| Robin in a nest postcard by Sylvia's Unique Creations |
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| Polymer clay cardinal garden ornament by My Garden's Closet |
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| Puffed up red cardinal by John Harmon Gallery |
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| Victorian Robin Redbreast and her nest card set by Three French Hens |
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| Red cardinal birdhouse cross stitch ornament by Bella Luna Crafters Cafe |
Fascinating legends and beautiful birds, Cat. I can't possibly select a favorite from the beautiful photos you've shown. There are no cardinals in my part of the US, but I hope to see one in person someday.
ReplyDeleteI will probably never see a cardinal in my life, but I'll definitely have to look out more for robins!
DeleteI always wondered about the birds in our Christmas tree. Thank you for the education.
ReplyDeleteVery nice selection of photo's. :)
The nice thing is that I'm educating myself, too. I never knew about the legends around the robin and his red breast!
DeleteOh, I love cardinals. We have quite a few that visit our feeder.
ReplyDeleteThey're also the mascot of my beloved University of Louisville.
I think you will have to shoot a few pictures for us eventually!
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