英國驚現“搖錢樹”

They say money doesn't grow on trees. But it certainly appears to do so on the mysterious coin-studded trunks dotted around the UK's woodland.

The strange phenomenon of gnarled old trees with coins embedded all over their bark has been spotted on trails from the Peak District to the Scottish Highlands.

The coins are usually knocked into felled tree trunks using stones by passers-by, who hope it will bring them good fortune.

These fascinating spectacles often have coins from centuries ago buried deep in their bark and warped by the passage of time.

The tradition of making offerings to deities at wishing trees dates back hundreds of years, but this combination of the man-made and the natural is far more rare.

It used to be believed that divine spirits lived in trees, and they were often festooned with sweets and gifts - as is still done today at Christmas.

The act is reminiscent of tossing money into ponds for good luck, or the trend for couples to attach 'love padlocks' to bridges and fences to symbolise lasting romance.

Some pubs, such as the Punch Bowl in Askham, Cumbria, have old beams with splits in them into which coins are forced for luck.

There are seven felled tree trunks with coins pushed into them in the picturesque village of Portmeirion, in Wales.

Meurig Jones, an estate manager at the tourist destination, told the BBC: 'We had no idea why it was being done when we first noticed the tree trunk was being filled with coins.

'I did some detective work and discovered that trees were sometimes used as "wishing trees" . In Britain it dates back to the 1700s - there is one tree in Scotland somewhere which apparently has a florin stuck into it.'

He said that a sick person could press a coin into a tree and their illness would go away.

'If someone then takes the coin out though, it's said they then become ill. We haven't publicised it at all, it's just happened,' he added. 'It's quite amazing really.'

In Scotland, there is also a legend about a kissing tree. If a young man could drive a nail into a tree with one blow, he earned a kiss from his sweetheart.衆所周知，天上不會掉餡餅，樹上也不會長錢，但在遍佈英國的林地裏，卻長滿了神祕的嵌滿硬幣的“搖錢樹”。

從英國皮克區到蘇格蘭高地，粗糙的老樹幹的外皮上嵌滿了硬幣，這種情況十分奇特。

這些硬幣通常是路人用石頭敲進採伐木的樹幹的，希望以此帶來好運。

“搖錢樹”的樹皮中深埋的硬幣有些已有幾百年歷史，由於年代久遠，已經有些扭曲。

通過許願樹給神明獻上祭品的習俗可以追溯到幾百年前，但自然和人工如此相結合的方式比較罕見。

舊時人們相信神靈住在樹上，於是便將糖果和禮品系在樹枝上，就像如今裝飾聖誕樹。

這使人想起其他的祈福方式，比如向池塘內投入錢幣以求好運，或是戀人在橋上或者柵欄上綁“同心鎖”，象徵愛情長久。

英格蘭坎布里亞郡阿斯克哈姆的大酒杯酒吧爲了圖吉利，也放有嵌着硬幣的木段。

在威爾士風景如畫的村鎮波特梅里恩，就有七棵這樣的搖錢樹。

這處旅遊勝地的房地產主管莫里格•瓊斯告訴英國廣播公司：“最開始發現這些搖錢樹時，我們也不知道爲什麼。”

“我做過一些調查，發現有時人們把樹當作‘許願樹’。在英國這個傳統可以追溯到18世紀。蘇格蘭某地的一棵許願樹裏還嵌有一枚弗羅林幣。”

他還說，病人把硬幣敲進樹幹就可以痊癒。

但他補充說：“如果有人把硬幣取出來，就會生病。我們沒有宣揚過這種說法，但的確發生過，太神奇了。”

在蘇格蘭，還流傳着關於“接吻樹”的傳說。如果一位年輕男士能一下就把釘子敲進樹裏，就能得到心上人的一個吻。