IX: Hyacinth
The sacred objects of the haftsin.
Good morning. Today is nonidi, the 9th of Floréal, Year CCXXXI. We celebrate la hyacinthe, a colorful flower that grows on a stalk.
💡
The hyacinth macaw of the Brazilian jungle is the longest parrot, tip-to-tail, on Earth. It's currently a protected species, as fewer than 10,000 birds are optimistically guesstimated to be surviving in four pockets of the Amazon rainforest. The habitat for the big blue bird is threatened by the usual suspects of farming incursion, so its fate is tied to that of the planet; when there's no more room for the hyacinth macaw, there's likely no more oxygen coming from the great bellows of the Amazon either. A further 10,000 of the species are in captivity, which includes zoos and wildlife sanctuaries but also private homes. By all accounts, the macaw is one of the most expensive parrots to both purchase (tens of thousands of dollars) and keep. You basically need to construct an aviary outdoors for this blue marvel, as its needs for exercise and biting strength are far too much for any indoor cage, and its endless curiosity means it will eventually eat every object in your home. Still, owners claim they're one of the more mellow parrots. The live about 50 years in captivity.
We're about a month late for the Persian festival of Nowruz, a traditional new year's festival that begins on the spring equinox (1 Germinal) and runs for 13 days, but the hyacinth takes center stage in the altar of objects celebrants create in their home for the festival, and you know I love a good delineated set of natural objects that have ritualized and metaphorical meaning.
