Today is September 2nd.Do any one know the peculiarity of this day.May not be able as it is not directly related to you. September 2nd is celebrated as International Coconut Day.
I belong to the state Kerala. The name of my state itself was derived from coconut! Yes, in my mother tongue Malayalam , coconut is called "Keram". A land where plenty of coconut palms or Kera tree is found was called as Keralam. So that is why I remember this international day.
Coconut tree is really a very useful tree. Many of us knows only about the oil that we extract from its fruit. The peculiarity of coconut is that every part of it can be utilized in one or another way. The fruit's inner part can be eaten in raw. It is slightly sweet. Also its water can be drunk. It is a very tasty water. It has some medicinal value also. A bath in coconut water will heal the summer itches on your body.
The shell of coconut is usually taken for making beautiful handicrafts. We Keralite use them as log. It burn for long time and keeps the hotness for long time. Hence it was also used in traditional iron boxes as agent of heat. Yes, burned coconut shell in hot form was used and still using in iron made iron boxes that is operated not electrically.
The wood of coconut is used for making houses. Old woods are so hard that turmites can't eat them. Many old houses of my state had used coconut palm wood in its construction and still for economical houses the wood is being used. If the wood is not used for home construction , then it is used as log. It is a very good log and easily can be burnt.
The leaf of coconut also is used for different purposes. The main use of the leaf is to thatch houses. The beautiful mat that can be made using the green leaf of coconut palm survives upto two or three years without any harm. The houses that thatched with coconut leaves will have cool air inside and is very comfortable also. Many resorts use the coconut leaves to thatch their roofs. The coconut leaves can also be used for burning. It catches fire very easily.
Tender coconuts are the very important thing to mention. Its taste is the taste to be tasted in this world. Once tasted you will never miss a chance too eat the tender coconut. It is a highly energetic drink also. We Keralites welcome a new comer or a guest by giving tender coconut water to drink.
There is a lot of other usages also for coconut. So a day for such a tree for international recognition.