Doves as symbols
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[edit] Christianity & Judaism
[edit] Peace Symbol
White doves, usually meaning domesticated Rock Pigeons, are a traditional Christian and Jewish symbol of love and peace.
[edit] Noah's Ark
According to the biblical story, a dove was released by Noah after the flood in order to find land; it came back carrying an olive branch in its beak, telling Noah that, somewhere, there was land. A dove with an olive branch has since then come to symbolize peace.
[edit] The Holy Spirit
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In Christian Iconography, a dove also symbolizes the Holy Spirit, in reference to Matthew 3:16 and Luke 3:22 where the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove at the Baptism of Jesus.
[edit] Christian Weddings
Doves or other birds are sometimes released at Christian weddings. They are generally the valued property of individuals who provide them specifically for this purpose. They are regularly permitted to fly free from their home dove cotes and therefore know very well how to fly back home after leaving the scene of the marriage ceremony. All rock pigeons are capable of homing over such short distances, but occasionally birds may be distracted by finding a mate or be caught by a predator.
[edit] Peace & Pacifism in Politics
Doves are often associated with the concept of peace and pacifism. They often appear in political cartoons, on banners and signs at events promoting peace (such as the Olympic Games, at various anti-war/anti-violence protests, etc.), and in pacifist literature. A person who is a pacifist is sometimes referred to as a dove (similarly, in American politics, a person who advocates the use of military resources as opposed to diplomacy can be referred to as a hawk).
Rock pigeons selectively bred for their ability to home over long distances, called homing pigeons, have served humans in times of war as war pigeons, and have even been awarded war medals to honour their services to humanity. These include the homing pigeon, Cher Ami, who received the French Croix de guerre for services during wartime, and who is now enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution, and G.I. Joe, who received the Dickin Medal for his role in preventing the bombing of an Italian village of over 1,000 people.
[edit] Royal Air Force
The rock dove is, due to its relation to the homing pigeon and thus communications, the main image in the crest of the Tactical Communications Wing, a body within the Royal Air Force. Below the crest is the Wing's motto, "Ubique Loquimur" or "We Speak Everywhere."
[edit] Mt. Vernon Weathervane
George Washington installed a peace dove with olive branch as his weathervane at Mt. Vernon.
After returning home from nine long years at war, General George Washington was eager to complete Mount Vernon's cupola. He commissioned architect Joseph Rakestraw to construct a weathervane with a Dove of Peace to crown it. "I should like to have a bird (in place of the Vain) with an olive branch in its Mouth..." When it arrived in August of 1787, Washington was in Philadelphia and quite concerned about its installation in his absence. He wrote to his secretary/nephew: "Great pains...must be taken to fix the points truly; otherwise they will deceive rather than direct-(if they vary from the North, South, East, and West)-one way of doing this may be by my Compass being placed in a direct North line on the ground at some distance from the House."
http://www.mountvernon.org/store/shopping/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewitem/pid/937/
