Symbolic Meaning
of Flowers
Symbolic meanings have been ascribed to flowers
since the earliest history of humankind. It has been
said that roses first turned red as they blushed
with shame at Adam and Eve's expulsion from the
Garden of Eden. Laurel wreaths placed around the
heads of early Greek Olympians symbolized victory
and glory. According to Christian legend, carnations
sprouted from the ground where Mary's tears fell as
she wept at the foot of the cross upon which Jesus
died, and thus are associated with a mother's
undying love. The white lily is strongly linked with
Mary throughout art history, symbolizing her
virginity, purity, and majesty. And in Ancient
Egypt, Cleopatra scattered roses at Marc Anthony's
feet as a symbol of her love.
Love, in fact, is the dominant message among the
symbolic meanings of flowers....as well it might be.
Flowers, after all, are the sexual reproductive
organs of plants, and as such they are emblematic of
all sorts of intimate proceedings. Think about that
every time you sniff a rose, that most sensual and
voluptuous of flowers.
There was a time in the past when persons of polite
and decorous demeanor never spoke publicly of their
romantic feelings. Displays of affection or amorous
intent where considered vulgar and inappropriate in
a society where all sorts of behavior was proscribed
by the social mores of the day. Thus, the so-called
"Language of Flowers" evolved as a way to
communicate ones deepest feelings in a socially
acceptable way. Love was never discussed among
polite company during the Elizabethan Age in Europe,
restricted by etiquette and conformity. So flowers
were used to convey feelings. But it was during the
Victorian Era that simple messages were assigned to
individual flowers. Several small books were
published in the late 1800's which detailed the
symbolic meanings of flowers, so that a suitor could
send an elaborate, often romantic, secret message to
his beloved by combining the appropriate flowers
into a telling bouquet, and she could respond in
kind. The recipients of such flowers could picture
an entire love letter among the blossoms.
And so was born the Language of Flowers. Some of the
meanings have changed over the years (for example, a
yellow rose once meant "jealousy" but today is most
often understood to mean "friendship"), and some of
the small books actually contradicted each
other......a peony symbolizes either "shame" or
"happy marriage".A
list of the most commonly accepted symbolic meanings
of flowers(Click here)
. Use them at your own risk.
Roses in particular carry a veritable lexicon of
quaint expressions of emotion. Everything from
modesty to jealousy to gratitude to mourning...and
of course, every degree of love....may be expressed
by the color, size, shape, maturity, or position of
the flower. But a perfect red rose always means "I
love you", a message which will never be confused
with any other symbolic meaning of a flower. Contact
a professional florist to help you expand your
flower vocabulary, and send a well- worded message
to someone you love, today.
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