We all love giving and receiving flowers, it’s a wonderful old tradition that communicates unspoken sentiments of empathy, caring, belonging and love. It’s mostly suggested it began when the hunter hoped to surprise the gatherer with a handpicked bouquet to celebrate that evening’s meal. But then again Legend says, the gods and goddesses were the first to receive floral gifts and it was merely a matter of time before this was adopted amongst people.
Floriography, the language of flowers, extends back hundreds of years in history as a way for people to communicate. The Ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Chinese all refer to the use of flowers in their stories and myths. There are some lovely tales of how this practice of giving a flower with specific meanings flourished in the Middle Ages. The strict guidelines of the church prevented couples from showing open affection in public. Giving flowers with encoded messages allowed them to express their emotions without fearing someone would see and report them. In Turkey during war time, military messages were sent as a bouquet of flowers, with the enemy believing the flowers were simply flowers. But it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that floriography became formalized, when in 1809 the first list on the language of flowers was published.
Today, across the world, flowers tend to share similar common meanings, which are mostly linked to love and passion. A couple of the more popular flowers are ~ Alstroemeria flowers are symbolic of wealth, prosperity and fortune. They are also the flower of friendship. ~ Chrysanthemums have many meanings associated with them. They symbolize fidelity, optimism, joy and long life. ~ Orchids are a symbol of exotic beauty. They symbolize refinement, thoughtfulness and mature charm. They also symbolize pride and glorious femininity. ~ Roses symbolize love and signify love in its various forms. The Rose symbolism varies based on colour, variety and number.
However, we should be mindful that there are still some cultural differences with flower gifting. Mourning is one example. In Brazil, the colours for mourning, are black and purple. In Australia, Britain and Hungary it’s white lilies, roses, and chrysanthemums that are most popular. In Japan, lilies, lotus blossoms and camellias are all funeral flowers, whilst Latvians gift red roses during mourning.
“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” ― Gérard de Nerval