Description: The Mango tree or Ambo (G.) is a tree originally from India. It is also considered a sacred tree. Its meaning is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures and is used in religious ceremonies.
In the Quinta da Vitoria, the doors of the houses were often decorated with leaves from the Mango or Loquat trees (the latter were used in replacement of Mango leaves), configuring a Toran.
The Toran is a set of Mango leaves laid out sequentially, sewn and placed over the front door of the house. It is an evocation to Lakshmi, the goddess of health, love, prosperity and beauty, and at the same time it is a way to welcome visitors to the home and family protection. (*)
Provided by: Caussiccumar Gechande, a Mozambique-born Portuguese.
Present Location: Vitoria Garden Collection (the original tree was destroyed in the course of the demolition of the house. It was replaced by asimilar specie transplanted from Quinta da Vitoria neighborhood in October 2014)
Last revision date: March 2016
(I) Numbering in accordance with the archive of trees and plants identified in the Quinta da Vitoria 2012 and 2013.
(II) Mabberley, David J. Mabberley´s Plant-Book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, their Classifications and Uses. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
(*)Testimonies of residents gathered in a set of recorded conversations in the neighborhood of Quinta da Vitória and after the demolition in Lisbon, Loures and London between July 2012 and October 2014.
(G.) Word in Gujarate language.
