Sunset poppies

A bright sunset added deep, rich shades to the large, blooming poppies. The flower petals looked like patches of velvet fabric, shimmering with shades of red, burgundy and orange. The ancient Romans believed that the poppy was dedicated to Ceres (Demeter), the goddess of agriculture, and was associated with fertility. She was depicted with a wreath of poppies and ears of grain on her head. In the mythology of the ancient Greeks, the poppy is an attribute of Hypnos, the god of sleep. In Provence, the poppy is considered the flower of angels, since it is used to decorate churches on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and small children strew poppy flowers on the road before the procession. A Buddhist legend says that once Buddha fell asleep, and poppies grew in the places where his eyelashes touched the ground. Therefore, in China, poppies mean rest, relaxation and tranquility. The blue Himalayan poppy, growing in the mountains at an altitude of 3,000 meters, is a symbol of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Such diverse legends and myths accompany this beautiful, bright flower. A field or steppe with blooming poppies makes an indelible impression. I depicted a fragment of such a field in this picture. A huge, blue and pink, sunset sky and bright, fire-colored poppies…