Early spring (technically it’s late winter) brings carpets of red Calaniot (Calanit in singular, Anemone in English) to the South and with them, Israelis head outside by the thousands walking the fields of blooming flowers. Chosen as Israel’s national flower in 2013 this is not the only flower in bloom right now, but perhaps the one which has made her way so well into the hearts of Israelis. As the star of a poem by the same name, well known Israeli poet, Natan Alterman, describes her as filled with “grace”, strength and ever returning (Kalaniot, 1945). Today this poem, Shoshana Demari’s first recorded song in 1948, at the dawn of Israel’s statehood, still emits from the mouths of Israeli adults and children alike.
To listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaL7mllWVG4