Maternity, 20 roubles, Series: Slav's Traditions

The “Slav’s Traditions” is a series of beautiful silver commemorative coins dedicated to the major Slavic customs. Each coin depicts a custom and a symbol characteristic for an important, breakthrough period in life. The issuer of the series is the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, and the manufacturer and distributor is the Mint of Poland. “Maternity” is the fourth coin in the series which previously featured the following coins:  “Wedding”, “Housewarming”, “Christening” and “Coming of Age”.

The perfect symbol of love, kindness and beauty is the figure of mother with her child. Maternity as a subject always inspires artists across the entire world and across time. The woman shown on the coin is featured wearing traditional folk clothing, derived from the Slavic tradition, The costume is made of a shirt with a geometric pattern embroidered on the sleeves, and a vest with striped trimmed edges, going around the neck and along the sleeve cutting line; on her head a wimple or a headscarf. The central element of the obverse is the symbol of “The Nurturing Mother” in the shape of the Tree of Life or the Sacred Tree, symbolizing eternal life and continued lineage.

This ancient symbol, probably dating back to the matriarchy, is one of the best recognizable elements of old Slavic symbolism. Another symbol depicted on the coin is the bird which, according to Slavic mythology, brings luck, protects the home, ensures prosperity, and heralds the child’s future happiness.