A legend of the Brazilian folklore: the "vitória-régia" - royal watter platter - legend

Once upon a time, a tribe of brazilian indians lived close to the edges of the Great River, where the young indians used to stay together and sing. There, young indian females dreamed for many hours looking at the Moon (or, as the aboriginals called it, "Jaci") and with the beauty of the stars.

One day, Neca-Neca, a beautiful young Indian girl, went up in a higher tree to see if she could touch the moon. She did not got it, obviously. Impatient, the girls decided, in another day, to go climb up a distant mountain, to try to touch with the hands the moon and the stars. But, when they had arrived there, the moon was so distant that they had come back sad toward their houses.

All girls had been lying, very sad. They had been sad, because, in case that could touch the moon or the stars, they could become so beauty as Jaci.

In one another night, Neca-neca left her trap, very sad. There was a full moon night and Jaci was beautiful, a great moon reflected in waters. Neca-neca dived herself then in the River to try to touch Jaci - and disappeared.

The moon become decided then that Neca-neca would be immortal in the land, therefore was impossible to transform her into a star. Then, it transformed her into a great round plant, with a beautiful flower in the center: the royal watter platter one.

As well as the Moon, the royal watter platter one, in Amazon, still opens on last afternoon and closes when the day rises...