Ulekian Farm Trees

In the western country of Ulek family trees are not just a metaphor but an actual physical tree, that is intrinsically strongly linked to the celebrations of birth and death
In rural Ulek the growing of fruit trees has always been important and art of grafting has been finely attuned. This led to the developement of the Family or Farm Trees. The farm tree is a fruit tree, usually the oldest on the farm, and each time a new member of the family is born a new branch is grafted on to the tree to symbolize the coming of the new life. The type of fruit that is grafted is determined by the birthdate of the family member and is chosen such that it wil give fruit at the birthday of the new child.
Birthdays are celebrated by making a traditional cake or pie depending on the type of fruit from the fruit of the persons branch. Itis a large family gathering and celebration as the person, whose birthday it is, picks the fruits off the tree.
The tree is also used to mark the leaving and coming of new family members through marriage. When someone leaves to get married and live on another farm or start a new for themselves they bring a cutting from their branch of the tree with them and this is then grafted on to their new farm tree to symbolize the union of their families.
When someone in the family dies the fruit of their branch is never used again. Instead it is picked off of the tree and ceremoniously places on the grave of the deceased on their birthday, to mark the fact that our family never truly leaves us.