Summary

Flowers can brighten up someone’s day, conveying vital emotions and sentiments in a manner often more powerful than written or oral communication. A message of love and care can be sent in a simple yet powerful way. Sending flowers is thus a memorable act but only if the right flowers are given for the occasion and the recipient in question.

Historical Floral Language

In the Victorian era, flowers were used as a subtle means of communication through which coded messages were conveyed. The language of flowers has changed considerably over time. As an example, white lilies symbolised eternity in the Middle Ages but now imply purity and virginity. Some have remained the same: the language of red roses still symbolises love and passion. Other current implied messages (depending on where you live) include carnations for pure love, daisies for innocence and laurel for peace.

Flower Colours

Colours are also synonymous with different emotions. For instance, pink symbolises tenderness and yellow equates to joy and wealth for some. Choosing flower colours requires a good understanding of the culture of the intended recipient. A colour which is commonly used for a joyous occasion in one country may be regarded as a bad omen in another. As an example, giving white flowers symbolises a funeral in Asia wherein red symbolises life and happiness. In Mexican folklore, in contrast, red flowers are considered to cast spells and white flowers are regarded as religious. The language of flowers is thus different from country to country.

Christmas Flowers

Christmas is a joyous festival celebrated by Christians (and increasingly non-Christians) around the world. Perhaps the best known symbol of Christmas is the Christmas tree but there are many flowers also associated with the occasion. These include poinsettia, amaryllis, camellias, jasmine, violets and forget-me-nots, all adding to the fragrance and festive mood of the season. Almost all colours are suitable for Christmas and the New Year, with some local variations. Many households in the UK choose a specific colour theme for Christmas, primarily for aesthetic rather than religious reasons. Flowers will be chosen to compliment that year’s theme. In some countries, there are specific colour traditions. The Russians, for example, have a traditional Christmas colour scheme of red, blue and green and for New Year, one of white and gold.

Hanukkah Flowers

Hanukkah, the eight day Jewish festivity of lights celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians, begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and thus usually falls in late November or early December. Hanukkah is traditionally celebrated by lighting candles at nightfall. In many Jewish households, the white and blue flag of Israel is represented by white and blue lilies, roses, carnations and orchids at this time of year.

Father’s Day Flowers

Father’s day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June, in the UK and the United States. This is an opportunity for children of all ages to express their affection for good old Dad. Gifts may given or sent to fathers who live some way away. Although men are less likely to be the recipients of flowers than women, this day is a notable exception with many offspring choosing to send flowers. Here, flower arrangements with dominant colours such as yellow, red and orange that signify a strong character are ideal. Good choices include sunflowers, roses and violets. Interestingly, Father’s day is not celebrated on the same day or even the same time of year in all countries. In Italy it is celebrated on March 19th, while in Denmark it is celebrated on June 5th.

The Language Of Flowers In Different countries

Apart from choosing flowers appropriate to a specific occasion, it is also essential to present flowers that will not offend the recipient. We have already seen that flowers embody a powerful language of their own but this language is far from uniform in different locales. Some flowers are highly prized in celebrations in one country while, the same flowers are associated with funerals elsewhere. It is therefore essential to know the appropriate local flower language in delivering the right message. In Thailand, giving marigolds or carnations should be avoided since they are associated with funerals. In Greece Chrysanthemums have the same association. The number of stems in the arrangement may also have some significance. In the US, giving a dozen flowers is customary whilst in some parts of Europe, giving flowers in even numbers is considered inappropriate.

Conclusion

Flowers deliver many different kinds of messages for different occasions. Flowers may express love, care, affection, sympathy and other vital human emotions in a simple yet memorable way. Choosing the appropriate flowers for an occasion may constitute the ideal gift. An inappropriate selection may render the gift memorable for entirely the wrong reasons!