23rd December
Giving apples on Silent Night
by Fang
Manchester Museum’s Archaeology collection is home to many apples; a terracotta apple, and a bronze apple in the hand of Aphrodite to name just a few. Now these apples, of course, would be a little tough to bite into, but there are some softer dessert apples that have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years in China. You may know that Chinese apples are soft and sweet, with a very old history, but did you know they also have a modern twist, especially associated with Christmas?
From a translation of the carol, Christmas Eve is known in China as ‘Silent Night’, and Giving apples at Silent Night, Ping An Ye So Ping Guo, 平安夜送苹果, is an interesting custom that can be seen amongst youngsters in China nowadays.
So, why apples?
This all stems from the fact that Chinese people love homonyms, they bring good luck. Pin An, 平安, means ‘safe and healthy’, and the Chinese apple Ping Guo, 苹果, includes the same sound, Ping. So, apple in Chinese has the metaphorical meaning of the hope to be ‘safe and healthy’ – surprisingly similar to the old British saying that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away'! Chinese apples symbolise peace and harmony, so are also called ‘Fruits of Peace’. They often feature designs that send love and care, health or Santa wishing you Merry Christmas. Giving apples at Silent Night is a good integration of Chinese and Western cultures – conveying festive blessings.
I remember when I was a child, small but sweet crab apples were a treat. And when I first started my museum job, Dr Rachel Webster, the Curator of Botany at Manchester Museum, gave us a talk focusing on crab apple trees, like the one opposite the museum, and the important roles they play.
“The native crab apple is one of the ancestors of the cultivated apple and it can live for up to 100 years. A tree of value to wildlife as well as humans; the leaves are food for the caterpillars of many moths. The flowers provide an important source of early pollen and nectar for insects, particularly bees, and the fruit is eaten by birds…”
University of Manchester, Tree Trail
From giving apples on Silent Night to apple trees providing for local wildlife, apples have crossed the boundaries of history and culture, caring for people and the places they live.
I hope you all enjoy Christmas apples with love and care!
Fang Zong
Title image: Herbarium specimen of the domestic apple, collected by Charles Bailey in 1879 and donated to Manchester Museum in 1917
Additional images: Chinese apples for Silent Night (Source 1, Source 2, Source 3)