Shafaq News- Baghdad
Belief in "money plants" is gaining popularity inIraq, with many households buying ornamental plants believed to attract wealth,prosperity, and good fortune under the principles of the Chinese Feng Shuiphilosophy.
Energy enthusiast Abeer Kadhim told Shafaq News that FengShui associates luck with various elements, including colors, numbers, coins,accessories, jewelry, and certain types of houseplants.
Supporters of the practice often follow rituals beforeplacing the plants indoors, including cleaning the space, choosing a bright andquiet location, and caring for the plant as a symbol of abundance. Some writedown personal goals and place them beside the plant, while others light candlesor incense during meditation. Others prefer buying the greenery on Thursdays orat the beginning of the month, believing it marks the start of a new cycle ofprosperity.
Hamed Hassan, 44, who owns a plant nursery in Baghdad, toldShafaq News that most of these plants are imported, particularly from China,and typically sell for between 50,000 and 150,000 Iraqi dinars (about $30–115),with some varieties costing even more.
The most sought-after species include the Money Tree(Pachira aquatica), the Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides), known forits coin-shaped leaves, Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana), locally called AsaMousa (Moses' Staff), as well as the Jade Plant (Crassula ovata) associatedwith growth and prosperity, and the Peace Lily, which is widely regarded as asymbol of purity and abundance. According to Hassan, many buyers believe thenumber of bamboo stalks carries symbolic meaning, with three representinghappiness, five health, and eight wealth. These plants require indirectsunlight, moist soil, and regular leaf cleaning to thrive.
Zahraa Ali, 30, told Shafaq News that Lucky Bamboo was thefirst plant she bought after moving into her husband's home because of itssymbolic meaning. "Ever since I was a child, my family kept this plant inseveral places around the house," she said, adding that she grew upassociating such greenery with prosperity.