The nearer one gets to the North and South Poles, the quicker it gets lighter, day by day, as winter turns to spring.

The furthest north I have ever lived is in the middle of Finland at 61°, and spring arrives there so quickly that the buds on the trees can burst and open fully in a day.

This accelerated growth is needed because the plants and trees have to cram everything into a short season, before the sun retreats towards the other Pole.

But in part it is because of the rapid increase in the length of the day as the sun moves further away from the equator, and heads towards the tropic of Cancer with its light galloping north around the curve of the Earth at an ever-increasing rate.

It is as though the light has climbed up the steep slope leading from the equator, and now it is speeding across the easy slope towards the top of the world.

There is something of that in every curve. In one direction it is an easy downhill ski slope, becoming steeper as it progresses. Looked at the other way, it is like a tough climb that tops out in an easy clamber over a grassy slope.

Now that the days are already becoming lighter, things look brighter. In the depths of winter here in Leeds at 52° north however, it seemed just a couple of short weeks ago that the dreary darkness would last forever.

When it snowed, it brightened up the landscape. Not that you can tell that in the following shot when the snow was still coming down in the half-light of a late afternoon in Roundhay Park.
 

Winter in Roundhay Park, Leeds, England

 
But now in later February the ducks are looking their very best with bright new feathers. They are congregating and showing off, ready for the breeding season – as is this widgeon.
 

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Their Breeding Grounds and Appearance
Mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They roost high in trees and nest in tree hollows found near bodies of water in eastern Siberia in Russia, China, and Japan. During the winter, they migrate to southern China and Japan.
 

 
The male mandarin (also known as a ‘drake’ as all male ducks are called) like the one pictured here has very colorful markings.

The female mandarin looks very different with feathers that are a mixture of pale colors and speckles of greys, browns, and whites. Her coloring serves as important camoflage against predators during the mating season.

Their American Relative
The mandarin duck is a close relative of the North American wood duck.

In fact, the two species are the only two members of the genus ‘Aix’ — the Mandarin being ‘Aix galericulata’ and the Wood Duck being ‘Aix sponsa’.

Monogamous and Admired in the Far East
Thought to be monogamous, mandarin ducks have been revered in Far Eastern culture since at least the fifth century. Praised for their ornate beauty, they are often found in art, poetry, and other forms of Oriental literature as a symbol of marital fidelity and emblematic of conjugal affection and fidelity.

Related Chinese and Japanese Proverbs and Traditions
The Chinese language use the proverb translated as “two mandarin ducks playing in water” as a metaphor for a loving couple. The Mandarin Duck symbol is also used in Chinese weddings since they symbolize wedded bliss.

Similarly in Japan in the past, pairs of mandarin ducks were often presented as wedding gifts to Japanese newly-weds.

An Homage from Hiroshige
An example of the depiction of mandarin ducks in Asian art can be found in one of the kacho-e (i.e., prints depicting birds and flowers) masterpieces created by the esteemed Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige who lived 1797 to 1858.

Translated from the Japanese, Hiroshige characterizes what happens in a tumultuous setting in nature between the otherwise normally bonded and loyal mandarin ducks:

A Mandarin Duck on a Snowy Bank
The morning tempest
sees even mandarin ducks
go separate ways.

The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks
An ancient Japanese folktale that contrasts greed and cruelty against kindness and love, The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks is a timeless legend about a powerful lord who separates a pair of loving mandarin ducks because he wants to have the male drake’s brilliant plumage to show off in his manor.

The drake almost dies of grief for his mate who is alone and foresaken on her nest, but two of the lord’s servants who respect and love animals and nature bring the creatures back together.

Although the servants find true love in one another through their virtuous deed, they put their lives at risk by helping out the beautiful mandarin duck.

All ends happily in the end, however, as the grateful bird and his mate manage to successfully save them.

A beautiful version of this legend for children was published in the 1990s. Using the same title and retold by Katherine Paterson in English, it also features color illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon created in the style of eighteenth-century Japanese woodcuts.

Worrying Population Decline
The current reality and fate of the mandarin duck is not nearly as heartwarming as the end of that timeless fable, however.

This is because according to recent research reported by the UK’s Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), numbers of mandarin ducks in their native Far East have declined from their former great numbers due to habitat destruction (mainly logging) and over-hunting to the present-day small wild populations of mandarin ducks which are under government protection in China, Japan, and Russia.

Including a feral, free-flying population of 7,000 birds in the UK, estimates put the total world-wide population of wild mandarin ducks today at around 80,000 birds.

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Like the photograph here of wedding dresses, an ornate, white dress is what most people in the West associate with weddings.

This isn’t surprising since white is universally regarded as the color of purity, and weddings are all about celebrating and cementing a monogamous, loving relationship.

However, this tradition of wearing white wedding dresses in fact only started in the mid-19th century when Queen Victoria of England wore a white wedding gown when she married her consort Albert in 1840.

Beyond the Pale

In reality, in previous centuries in the West, other colors were preferred for wedding gowns. Outside of the West, a range of colors besides white has always dominated the wedding day.

In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Blue was also the border color of the bride’s dress in ancient Israel where it symbolized similar virtues. Because Christianity generally portrayed the Virgin Mary in blue, purity was also associated with this color just as it is these days with white.

Blue remained a popular colour for wedding gowns until Queen Victoria popularized wearing white. Perhaps the brides then were thinking of the proverb, “Marry in blue, lover be true.”

Opting for Red Instead

Regarded as the color of joy and luck, red is the color that brides wear in China.

Some brides also wore red in the United States during the Revolutionary War in the 18th century to symbolize the independence the Colonists desired.

In Korea, brides have two types of dresses to choose from, including a simple lime-green gown called a wonsam. It is embroidered with flowers and butterflies and worn over the hanbok, the doll-like traditional wedding dress that is made of patterned silk.

Where Green is Seen

Because it is the color of plants and Moroccans think it brings good luck, brides there wear green gowns.

The other type of dress that brides wear in Korea is the more elaborate gown called a hwarrot, or “flower robe.” Like the red wonsam, it is also worn over the hanbok (see last listing in ‘Red’ section above for more details).

The Reason Behind Bright Yellow

In Morocco, brides can choose to wear yellow instead of green. Yellow is worn to scare away the evil eye.

Other Colours

During the 16th century, Roman Catholic brides in Spain wore black gowns and lacy mantillas to show their devotion to their spouse until death.

To pay tribute to the dead, some American brides during the Civil War wore purple because it represents honor and courage.

In Japan, women wear two colors for the wedding ceremony: A white, silk kimono lined with red. This combination symbolizes happiness and a new beginning. While women in Japan begin their wedding wearing a white kimono lined with red, they often wear gowns of silver or gold as the special event progresses.