The Legend of Yerba Mate - Guaraní

High in the starry night sky lived Yací, the Moon Goddess. She had a best friend, Araí, the Cloud Goddess. Every night, they would peek down from the sky. They saw a beautiful green forest on Earth below. The trees were so tall. The leaves were so green. Yací and Araí wanted to visit. They wanted to walk on the soft grass. They wanted to smell the sweet flowers. This is the story of their big adventure. It is called the Legend of Yerba Mate. They found a wonderful secret in the forest. They found a special friendship.

One sunny day, Yací and Araí visited the Earth. They changed into two little girls so they could play. Wow. The forest was so amazing. They saw bright red flowers and big blue butterflies. They heard the birds sing happy songs. Chirp, chirp, chirp. It was so much fun. But then, they saw a big cat with spots. It was a jaguar. The girls felt a little bit scared. Just then, a kind old man walked by. He saw the jaguar and gently said, "Shoo, shoo, kitty." The jaguar ran away. The man did not know they were goddesses from the sky. He smiled and asked them to come to his little house. He shared his food with them. He was very kind.

That night, when the old man was sleeping, Yací visited him in a dream. She was glowing like the moon. She wanted to thank the man for being so kind. "You shared everything you had," she whispered. "Now I have a special gift for you." The next morning, the man woke up. He looked outside his house. A new plant was there. It had shiny green leaves. He heard Yací's voice in the wind. "This is the yerba mate plant," she said. "It is a gift of friendship." The leaves from this plant could make a special drink. When friends share the drink, it brings them together. This is why many people share mate. It reminds them that being kind is the best gift of all. Kindness makes more kindness grow.