In this opportunity and to participate in the challenge #aboutmyculture by @sndbox, I would like to talk about the national tree of my country, the Araguaney.

In this order of ideas, according to the challenge, we must answer the following questions:

What is your culture topic?

In this case, among the many options, I chose to talk about the national tree, the Araguaney. One of its most prominent features is that once a year its foliage becomes a striking yellow color, for which, it loses all its green leaves and gives us that wonderful spectacle of color. This event occurs between the months of February to April, precisely in the driest season of the year, so it stands out easily among the brown tones that nature offers us for this time.

Tabebuia chrysantha (araguaney or yellow ipê), known as guayacan in Colombia, as tajibo in Bolivia, and as ipê-amarelo in Brazil, is a native tree of the intertropical broadleaf deciduous forests of South America above the Tropic of Capricorn. On May 29, 1948, Tabebuia chrysantha was declared National Tree of Venezuela since being an emblematic native species of extraordinary beauty. Its deep yellow resembles the one on the Venezuelan flag. It is one of about 100 species of Tabebuia.
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Why did you choose it?

I chose the Araguaney, as a theme to share, due to the similarity between its characteristics and those of Venezuelans, since it is a tree that even when it takes a long time to grow to reach its normal size, it can do it practically in any type of soil, even in those characterized for being of few nutrients. It is a tree of great strength, just like the people it represents.

Venezuelans are good people, wanting to achieve success, in any "ground" we can develop, even when we take years to achieve success, we work hard to achieve it. The yellow flower of the tree, in this case would be represented by all those people trained for various reasons have left the country, to show the world the talent we have, the beauty of our way of being, the ingenious, prepared and hardworking that is the Venezuelan

Its wood is very hard, quite resistant to termites and however peculiar it may seem, this wood says that when thrown into the water, it sinks as if it were a rock. That's why some people prefer it for certain types of woodwork

What makes it special to you and to your local culture?

Any Venezuelan, anywhere in the world when they see the photo of an Araguaney will immediately rejoice his heart, recognizing their colors and shape immediately. Since, not only is the national tree, not only it is characteristic of this time of year, but also, it is used to identify the tree’s day.

The day of the tree, has undergone various changes of date, always in the month of May, until today that is celebrated on the last Sunday in May. This is how, not only is the national tree but with its unmistakable stamp all the trees of all species on earth are also remembered.

It has even inspired many artists to compose poems, such as the following translation from Spanish:

To the Araguaney
From the foliage emerges your slender branches,
that in shady verdure, so scattered;
with your strong arms, of August lineage,
paternal blankets the fields you love.
With infinite grace, your body defoliates
and you are naked, you lose your brightness;
confident that soon Nature will choose you,
the most effulgent yellow outfit.
And with deep pride, show off your finery,
what God put in you, with wise decorum;
and your Indian soul a sigh exhales,
Seeing on your foot, royal carpet of gold.

Author: Jesús Núñez León
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As well as, multiple songs, among which the most important, to me, is the Hymn of the Araguaney, which is taught in schools nationwide, in English is something like this:

Hymn of the Araguaney.
Chorus.
In the patio, in the patio of my house
I have I have an Araguaney
That in all the springs it is adorned like a king,
That in all the springs it is adorned like a king.
I
It is the tree, it is the most beautiful tree
From my land of my beloved land,
Under your shadows I would like
Spend my life.
II
It is the symbol, it is the purest symbol
From our immortal homeland
Long live the Araguaney,
Long live the national tree
Long live the Araguaney
Live the national tree.
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Finally, I would like that my words make you reflect on the importance of communion with nature, the indispensability of maintaining the perfect balance so that all forms of life can survive in the world. All the actions of man affect, in one way or another, nature.Planting a tree today guarantees a better climate balance for tomorrow.

Photos are mine. They were taken with my cellphone.

Sources:

Tabebuia
Poem
Hymn