The world’s best pomegranates are said to be grown in the southern Afghanistan; in Kandahar, Balkh, Helmand and Nimruz provinces. But of course, they have a heritage that is as old as the first kings.

In ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate was known as the “fruit of the dead”, and believed to have sprung from the blood of Adonis. In modern times, when one buys a new home, it is conventional for a house guest to bring as a first gift a pomegranate, which is placed under/near the ikonostasi (home altar) of the house, as a symbol of abundance, fertility and good luck.

Pomegranates are also prominent at Greek weddings and funerals. When Greeks commemorate their dead, they make kollyva as offerings, which consist of boiled wheat, mixed with sugar and decorated with pomegranate. It is also traditional in Greece to break a pomegranate on the ground at weddings and on New Years.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, pomegranate seeds may be used in kollyva, a dish prepared for memorial services, as a symbol of the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom.

The symbol of Armenia, the pomegranate represents fertility, abundance and marriage. The fruit played an integral role in a wedding custom widely practiced in ancient Armenia: a bride was given a pomegranate fruit, which she threw against a wall, breaking it into pieces. Scattered pomegranate seeds ensured the bride future children.

In Persian mythology, Isfandiyar (a legendary Iranian hero) eats a pomegranate and becomes invincible. In the Greco-Persian Wars, Herodotus mentions golden pomegranates adorning the spears of warriors in the phalanx. As in ancient Persian culture, even in today’s Iran, pomegranate may imply love and fertility.

In some Hindu traditions, the pomegranate symbolises prosperity and fertility, and is associated with both Bhoomidevi (the earth goddess) and Lord Ganesha. The Tamil name maadulampazham is a metaphor for a woman’s mind — meaning, as the seeds are hidden, it is not easy to decipher a woman’s mind.

Introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the pomegranate in olden times was considered an emblem of fertility and numerous progeny. This symbolism is a pun on the Chinese character which, as well as meaning seed, also means “offspring” thus a fruit containing so many seeds is a sign of fecundity. Pictures of the ripe fruit with the seeds bursting forth were often hung in homes to bestow fertility and bless the dwelling with numerous offspring.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 28th, 2014