意大利西西里岛康科迪亚神庙前的一棵橄榄树 An olive tree in front of the Temple of Concordia on the island of Sicily, Italy (© Alfio Finocchiaro/Shutterstock)

意大利西西里岛康科迪亚神庙前的一棵橄榄树 An olive tree in front of the Temple of Concordia on the island of Sicily, Italy (© Alfio Finocchiaro/Shutterstock)

和平的象征 A symbol of peace

世界橄榄树日

虽然不是每个人都会认为这是一棵橄榄树，但我们大多数人都理解“伸出橄榄枝”这句话的含义，这句话长期以来被称为和平与友谊的象征。这种同情、和谐和智慧的情感是联合国教科文组织于2019年设立的世界橄榄树日的核心，该日每年11月26日举行。该日的目的是让人们关注世界范围内冲突的解决以及橄榄树本身的保护，就像这棵站在意大利阿格里真托康科德亚神庙前的橄榄树。这座保存完好的希腊多立克神庙建于公元前440年左右的西西里岛南岸。橄榄树原产于地中海沿岸地区，如今在气候相似的地方种植，如加利福尼亚和以色列的部分地区。大约90%的收获橄榄被用来制作橄榄油，这是地中海烹饪的精华成分。

橄榄的种植与人类文明本身一样古老，一些树木本身也是如此。虽然橄榄树长得不高，通常不超过30英尺，但它们的寿命很长。葡萄牙是世界上已知最古老的树木之一，据信树龄为3350年。许多人活了几千年，树干长得又粗又多节，树枝一个世纪又一个世纪地结出果实。随着周围文明的兴衰，这些耐寒的树木依然顽强顽强。

World Olive Tree Day

While not everyone would recognize this as an olive tree, most of us understand the meaning of the phrase, 'extending an olive branch,' long known as a gesture of peace and friendship. That sentiment of compassion, harmony and wisdom is at the heart of UNESCO's World Olive Tree Day, created in 2019 and observed every November 26. The intent of the day is to bring attention to the resolution of conflict worldwide and to the preservation of the olive tree itself, like this one standing in front of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Italy. The well-preserved, Greek Doric temple was built on what is now the south shore of Sicily, around 440 BCE. Olive trees are native to the coastal regions of the Mediterranean and are cultivated today in places with similar climates, like parts of California and Israel. About 90 percent of harvested olives are used to make olive oil, the quintessential ingredient in Mediterranean cooking.

The cultivation of olives is about as old as human civilization itself, as are some of the trees themselves. Although olive trees do not grow very tall, usually no more than 30 feet, they live a very long time. One of the oldest known trees in the world, in Portugal, is believed to be 3,350 years old. Many live for millennia, their trunks growing thick and gnarled, and their branches bearing fruit century after century. As civilizations rise and fall around them, these hardy trees remain resilient and steadfast.