Apples are the fruits of life.

Apple is the most popular fruit in the whole world. The apple tree is considered to be Central Asia. This tree has become widely spread all over the world and there are a huge number of apple cultivars growing in different climatic conditions.
Most grown in countries such as the United States, China and Chile, Italy and France.
Apples differ in color: all shades of green, red and yellow, taste: sweet, sour, sweet and sour. ()!
Photo taken fromdigital camera of SONY DSC - H400,from personal archive.
Contest #foodphotography in the blog @phatocontests, @juliank.

Since ancient times, there are many legends and myths among different peoples of the world, where an apple or apple tree is one of the main characters.

In ancient Greece, the apple personified the symbol of love and was the dedication of Aphrodite - the goddess of love. Germanic tribes to protect their homes, surrounded them with apple trees, because they believed in the divine origin of the apple tree and the patronage over it of all the gods.

The story of the origin of the expression "apple of discord" is associated with the legend of the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, as well as the king of Sparta, Menelaus, his beautiful Elena and the Trojan king of Paris. It is believed that it was the apple that ultimately became the cause of the Trojan War.
The last, twelfth feat of Hercules, which is considered the most difficult of all previous, was associated with three apples, which he needed to be torn from a golden tree in the gardens of the firmament guarded by the dragon.

Another legend is about Atalanta, who chooses the groom, competing with the applicants in the speed of running. Only one Hippoman was able to get ahead of her, using the golden apples that he dropped during the run. Atalanta fell behind, raising them and Hippomen became her husband.

One of the attributes of the three benevolent goddesses of Graces in Roman mythology was an apple.

Scandinavian mythology mentions "apples of apples", and in Slavic - the apple became the emblem of a happy marriage and the continuation of the family, and also was a symbol of fertility and beauty. It is with the apple that many wedding traditions of the ancient Slavs are associated, they were exchanged as a recognition in sympathy, they could serve as an invitation to a wedding, they were used as decorations in wedding ceremonies, could be a gift for newlyweds, as a wish of healthy offspring.

Other Slavic rites are associated with apples and apple trees. This fruit was a symbol of health and well-being. During the New Year's festivities, the apple was "charged" with water for washing. It was believed that even holding on to a tree or touching its fruits - you become more healthy. As a symbol of abundance, apples became "gifts" not only for the newlyweds, but also for the birth of children, for housewarming, as a cure for infertility.
n folk Slavic and other fairy tales, an apple always possesses certain magical properties, it can be a guide (and an apple tree as a refuge) for pilgrims who are young for those who want to find beauty and youth, a source of wealth and happiness for their owners.

In folk Slavic and other fairy tales, an apple always possesses certain magical properties, it can be a guide (and an apple tree as a refuge) for pilgrims who are young for those who want to find beauty and youth, a source of wealth and happiness for their owners.

On the other hand, no less often, there is also a poisoned apple in fairy tales, such as in "Snow White", however in such stories there is always an antidote in the form of good, beauty and love. http://womanwiki.ru