Sunflowers have become the symbol of a world free of nuclear weapons. After Ukraine gave up its last nuclear warhead, the Defense Ministers of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine met on a former Ukrainian missile base, June 4, 1996. They celebrated by scattering sunflower seeds and planting sunflowers. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry said, “Sunflowers instead of missiles in the soil would insure peace for future generations.”
前蘇聯人民熱愛向日葵,并將它定為國花?,F在俄羅斯把國花仍定為向日葵“更無柳絮因風起,惟有葵花向日傾”。向日葵,向往光明之花,合人帶來美好希望之花,它全身是寶,把自己無私地奉獻給人類。關于向日葵,歷史上有一美妙傳說。古代有一位農夫女兒名叫明姑,她憨厚老實,長得俊俏,卻被后娘“女霸王”視為眼中釘,受到百般凌辱虐待。一次,因一件小事,頂撞了后娘一句,惹怒了后娘,使用皮鞭抽打她,可一下失手打到了前來勸解的親生女兒身上,這時后娘又氣又恨,夜里趁明姑娘熟睡之際挖掉了她的眼睛。明姑疼痛難忍,破門出逃,不久死去,死后在她墳上開著一盤鮮麗的黃花,終日面向陽光,它就是向日葵。表示明姑向往光明,厭惡黑暗之意,這傳說激勵人們痛恨暴、黑暗,追求光明。這向日葵便繁何至今。