Coconut Fruit Symbolism Facts & Literature: Astrology, Omens, Dreams, and Legends
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Coconut Fruit Symbolism & Meaning
The Coconut’s name came from the Portuguese word cocuruto which translates to “skull” or “head” because the fruit resembles a human skull with its round shape and three holes.
The Coconut is considered a fruit from the gods in many cultures worldwide. It is viewed to represent spiritual value, purity, and divinity. Coconuts are also seen to be symbols of noble and proud hearts.
In Hinduism, the Coconut represents human beings with the ego as the hard, rough, outer shell of the Coconut protecting the person’s inner life, full of their essence and beauty.
The Coconut tree’s long-lasting life and its ability to provide a bounty of materials made it a symbol of love, loyalty, and faithfulness.
Coconuts are iconic symbols of the tropics and are associated with bounty, self-sufficiency, and faithfulness to those living in tropical countries. It can be seen being used in the emblems of several organizations worldwide.
The official Maldives emblem features a prominent Coconut tree at its center.
The Coconut Company is a prominent seller and producer of Coconut products around the globe. Their emblem, naturally, is a border of an abstract shape of the Coconut with the company name at the center.
Kalena Sparking is a fruit beverage company with sparkling Coconut water being its main product. Their icon is a halved Coconut in a cubic style with bubbles sparkling from the fruit.
Coconut Mobile Spray Tan is a tanning salon in North Carolina, USA. Established in 2016, their emblem is a halved Coconut with a palm leaf covering the exposed inner fruit.
Coconut Software has an abstract minimalist emblem depicting a halved Coconut containing its juices. This software company offers customized software products to banks and financial institutions to better connect with their clients.
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Coconut Fruit Positive & Negative Symbolism
The Coconut Fruit has many positive symbolism ranging from bounty, loyalty, love, and divinity. Some of its negative symbolism is ego and death.
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Coconut Fruit Origin
The exact origins of the Coconut Fruit are still up for contention. Still, a popular theory is that it is native to the Indo-Pacific regions with neolithic seafarers, like the Austronesians taking the fruits in their voyages across the ocean.
Through this trade, the Coconut Fruit was introduced as far as the Pacific Islands and Madagascar. At some point in history, it was also introduced to India where Arab traders subsequently brought back the Coconuts to the Middle East. European traders first encountered the Coconut through the Silk Road. Marco Polo wrote of encountering the fruit in Egypt in the 13th century with locals calling it “The Pharoah’s nut.”
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Coconut Fruit Cultural Symbolism
The Coconut is a significantly important fruit as a critical food item amongst island nations, like the Polynesians and the Austronesians.
In the Philippines, the Coconut palm is often referred to as the Tree of Life because of the many materials it gives to the Filipinos. In the Ilocos region, locals practice a tradition called “niniyogan” where they offer Coconut filled with sweet rice and halved boiled eggs to to their ancestors.
The Coconut also plays a significant role in Hinduism. It is a symbol of prosperity and a happy marriage in Hindu weddings. Most Hindu rituals use Coconuts in worship of a Hindu deity.
Hindus also have a common tradition of breaking a Coconut before ritual activities or occasions as an offering to Hindu deities in exchange for success.
The Koli, a fishing community in the Maharashtra state of India, celebrates the Coconut Day Festival, also known as Narali Poornima where they undertake a full day of religious fasting and prayers. Koli fishermen throw Coconuts at the sea as an offering to Varuna, the Hindu god of the sea.
During the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, one of the most prized souvenir is a hand-decorated Coconut.
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Coconut Fruit in Art and Literature
The famous Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, painted The Weeping Coconuts in 1951, expressing her frustrations and pain. This artwork is one of the last paintings before she died.
The Dutch still-life and portrait painter Albert Eckhout also painted a still-life of Coconuts still in their branches and some halved to show their nutritional Coconut meat. It is unclear when Eckhout painted this still-life artwork.
Paul Gauguin, the French post-impressionist and symbolist painter painted the watercolor landscape titled Hut Under the Coconut Palms in 1894.
The Coconut Fruit has also inspired many creatives in the field of literature. The Filipino National Artist, Ryan Cayabyab, composed the novelty song Da Coconut Nut Song for the band Smokey Mountain in 1991.
The Kiwi author Melissa Gunn wrote a short story titled A Gift of Coconuts in 2024, depicting the results of climate change.
The Coconut is also featured in the graphic novel Mossy and Tweet: Crazy for Coconuts by Mirka Hokkanen published in 2023, and the children’s picture book, also in 2023, titled Koko and the Coconut by Turia Pitt, Emilie Tavaearii, and Celestine Vaite.
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Coconut Favorite Fruit: Traits and Personality
For those who consider the Coconut as their favorite fruit, their personality can reflect some known properties of the fruit. Coconut lovers are go-getters who never back down from a challenge while also being nourishing and dependable in times of need.
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Coconut Fruit in Astrology or Zodiac
The Coconut Fruit has a connection with those born under the zodiac sign of Gemini. Just like the Coconut, Geminis have many sides to them, they can both display hard exteriors while hiding inside a soft and gooey interior.
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Coconut Fruit in Dreams
Dreaming of Coconuts is a good sign that abundance, prosperity, and good fortune are just around the corner. This could also indicate that the dreamer is experiencing happiness, success, and good health.
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Coconut Fruit Omens and Superstitions
In many places, superstitious beliefs say breaking a Coconut Fruit is seen as a good omen or can bring good luck, especially before an event or occasion. This superstition is so prevalent in places like Tanzania that it sprang forth a debate amongst residents about Coconut wastage.
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Coconut Fruit Legends, Mythology, and Folklore
In Indonesia, the mythology of the first Coconuts was told in the tale of Hainuwele, the Coconut girl. Hainuwele was born out of the first Coconut on the island of Seram after Ameta, found the first Coconut Fruit stuck on the tusk of a boar, planted it, and let it grow into the first Coconut tree.
