White Dove Releases by Heartwings
Releasing white doves
in southeastern Pennsylvania, New Castle Co. Delaware,
Salem Co. New Jersey
and Cecil Co. Maryland.
The dove is a universal symbol of peace and love in many cultures and traditions.
Myths from many cultures show honor and affection for the dove of peace. Beginning
with the Egyptians the dove was a symbol of peace and quiet innocence. In
ancient Japan the peace dove was depicted with a sword to announce the end
to war. Chinese culture believed the dove a symbol of peace and long
life. In India and South Asia the Hindu god of love, Kamadeva, was shown
riding on a dove and armed with a quiver of flowers as a symbol of peace and
divinity. Doves represented love and devotion to the early Greeks and Romans
as the dove was the sacred animal of Aphrodite and Venus the goddesses of
love. Aphrodite is shown in her chariot drawn by white doves. Her daughters
the Pleiades, the "Seven Sisters" constellation, were known as "a flock of
doves".
The dove of peace symbolism was continued in Christianity where in
the Bible doves were often referred to as a symbol of peace, love and hope and representing the
holy spirit. In the ancient Hebrew myth of the great flood the dove brought
Noah the news that the flood was over symbolizing peace on earth between the
divine and mankind. This is also seen in the Aztec legend of a great flood
where the goddess, Xochiquetzal, becomes the mother of humanity descending
in the form of a dove to create the languages of the world and peaceful
communication. The dove is also a sacred symbol of the divine in Islam. The
dove flying from Mohammad's ear sends messages to mankind from the divine.
In some native north American cultures the spirit of the dead take the form
of a dove after leaving the body as the dove of peace.
In more recent times Picasso popularized the peace dove when at the
end of WW2 the World Peace Congress asked him to create an image of peace. He
chose the white dove....the dove of peace. In 1981 the United Nations passed
a resolution declaring an International Day of Peace and in 2001, September
21 of every year was declared UN Peace Day. It is a day to celebrate peace
and spread the hope for peace on earth.
For availability contact Mindy
at Heartwings Dove Releases
610-274-8080
heartdoves@hotmail.com
Shown below are photos from a celebration of the UN
Peace day September 21, 2003.
(click on photographs to enlarge, then back to return)
