The forgotten science of hanging maavilai thoranam or mango leaves, has more to do with community wellness than decoration.
I’ve always noticed leaves hanging at the entrance of many Tamil homes and events.
I wondered if there was actually a reason for doing this? Or is this just only some ancient form of decoration?
The leaves hung are called: மாவிலை தோரணம் (maavilai thoranam), and the name for the leaf used is மாவிலை (maavilai) or mango leaf.
For generations Tamils have used the various parts of the mango tree for things ranging from food, medicine to household products.
Now one of the traditional uses for the thick, sturdy mango leaf is hanging them at the entrance of homes or at events.
Tamil elders say the reason why we hang மாவிலை (maavelai), is because when picked off the mango tree, mango leaves continue to absorb carbon dioxide and toxins in the air and release clean oxygen.
Due to the leaves' ability to purify the air, we hang மாவிலைத் தோரணங்கள் (maavilai thoranagal) where many people gather as a precaution to keep everyone healthy.
Now when I was trying to understand this works, I came across this popular video where we can see a mango leaf producing oxygen bubbles after being picked.
But most leaves are able to release oxygen for some time after being picked off of trees.
So, aside from there being an abundance of mango trees in South Asia, why did our ancestors choose the மாவிலை (maavelai)?
Because if all leaves are able to release oxygen after being picked, why aren’t we hanging other leaves? Are mango leaves able to release oxygen for longer than other leaves?
Mango leaves have a high stomata density which increases the potential for rapid gas exchange.
This means that mangoes leaves have a lot of tiny openings on its surface that allows for gas exchange like taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
But a higher stomata density also means higher water loss, and I know that we need water and carbon dioxide to make oxygen so how would that work when mango leaves are picked off the tree and hung?
Well, mango trees and their leaves are drought-tolerant, meaning they can withstand periods of limited water availability better than some other plant species.
They have adaptations in the leaves to reduce water loss.
A recent study exploring why mango trees are able to survive drought conditions, conducted chlorophyll fluorescence experiments.
The experiments revealed that mango leaves could maintain 50% of their initial photosystem II efficiency for up to 4 days after drying out.
So even after mango leaves have dried out they have the ability to release oxygen.
This may make a lot more sense now as to why Tamil people keep மாவிலை (maavilai) hanging even after they’re dried out.
Today many people only see the மாவிலை தோரணம் (maavilai thoranam) as Tamil decoration and opt for hanging up a fake தோரணம் (thoranam).
Although there is still a lot more to explore about this topic, it’s incredibly empowering to understand how our ancestors lived.
What other traditions we are overlooking or misinterpreting?
There’s no doubt that due to the oppression Tamils have globally faced, there is a lot of work we have to do in terms of our views, exploration, and documentation of Tamil.
Perhaps What You Missed In Tamil Class can offer you a place to start.
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