Kalanit - A Silent Message

 

KALANIT - A Silent Message

"For the winter is past, the rain is over, the flowers appear on the earth…" (Song of Solomon 2:11), and this is the season for creation's beauty to grace the land of Israel. One of the most conspicuous spring flowers is the anemone. This Greek-derived name means "daughter of the wind". It carpets the land, north to south, with its red, purple, and white flowers, but its bright luminous redness is definitely the most predominant of them all. It is one of the earliest spring flowers to appear and when its blossoming season is over, other red flowers are 'waiting in line' to present themselves, each with its unique beauty. However, more than any other spring flower, the anemone has gained a place of prominence in our culture; in song, poems and prose. So much so, that it even became the code name, used by the Jewish residents, for the red beret-donning special division of the British army during the Mandatory Era (1917-1948).

But with all of its special attributes what stands out the most about the anemone is its name in Hebrew – Kalanit (kaf, lamed, noon, yod, tav). Kalanit is a diminutive form of the noun "kala" – bride.

"A bride dressed in red?" you may ask. Aha, but this "bride" has a white veil, a veil that surrounds its black stamens, conveying the message that the Lamb's blood washes and makes white (Rev. 7:14) and that "the royal daughter is all glorious within" (Psalm 45:13). Hiding her white wedding veil, covered by the blood, and being made ready for her Husband "like a lily among the thorns, so is [His] love among the daughters" (Song of Songs 2:11).