Therefore, sending white flowers to an Asian wedding would convey a rather unfortunate message to the newlyweds.Ī gift of white flowers means something totally different in Asia than in other parts of the world. For example, white flowers in Asian countries symbolize death. A knowledge of regional differences is important. Yellow flowers indicate joy, happiness, and friendship, while white flowers symbolize purity, innocence, and humility. Typically, pink indicates grace, joy, and innocence. The meaning of pink flowers varies by culture. In general, red flowers are said to indicate passion, love, and affection. Thus, a last-minute substitution by a florist because of a shortage of a certain color of flower could prove disastrous to a relationship, given the recipient is a student of floriography. For example, whereas the gift of a red carnation symbolizes a declaration of love, giving a yellow carnation expresses disappointment or rejection. Suggested by the table above is the fact the meaning of a flower can depend on its color. For a more complete list, readers are urged to consult a floral dictionary or other work devoted entirely to the subject (e.g., ). What is the hidden meaning of flowers whose use allowed for non-verbal communication to take place for thousands of years? Although slight variation often exists regionally, the following table lists of a number of popular flowers and their meaning. ![]() The first books on the subject were published in the United States in 1829 in the form of Elizabeth Wirt's Flora's Dictionary and Dorothea Dix's The Garland of Flora. In print, floriography made its way into the United States through the writings of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a Turkish-born French naturalist, who wrote "The School of Flora" articles in the Saturday Evening Post weekly from 1827 to 1828. ![]() Floral dictionaries were available to quickly allow the recipient of an arrangement or bouquet to interpret the sentiments of the sender.ĭuring the Victorian Era, people often exchanged "talking bouquets" as a means of expressing their feelings toward one another. Undoubtedly, many hearts were won, and others broken, by the language expressed by flowers received. As a result, Victorians exchanged "talking bouquets" with their coded messages as a means of expressing their feelings toward each other. An interesting use of floriography in that era was for women of a harem to communicate with one another with flowers without their guards' knowledge.Īs a means of communication, floriography soared in popularity during the Victoria Period when demure behavior became the norm and the proclamation of feelings in public was socially taboo. In her book, "The Language of Flowers," author Jayne Alcock traced the roots of floriography to the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and specifically to the court in Constantinople. Ancient cultures of Europe, Asia, and Africa all used plants and flowers as symbols. today has grown to be a nearly $6 billion industry, with about $2 billion spent on flowers on Valentine's Day alone.įloriography (i.e., the language of flowers) is the term given to communicating cryptically through the meaning or symbolism of certain flowers and flower colors. Following its humble beginning, the retail floral trade in the U.S. The early colonists brought the British tradition of giving flowers with them when they immigrated to America. In the Middle Ages, the tradition of giving flowers was carried out mainly by the British and French. Thus, the flower named after him means "self-love." Credit: John William Waterhouse via Wikimedia In Greek mythology, Narcissus was an egotistical young lad who fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water. Narcissus, the young man who fell in love with his image while gazing into a pool of water, represents a good example. Additionally, Greek mythology describes a number of characters who, for one reason or another, later had flowers named after them. ![]() The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans often used flowers in religious ceremonies. ![]() The use of flowers to express feelings is not new. In short, "let flowers do the talking" was the point of the campaign. A number of years ago, a major floral wire service mounted a nationwide campaign urging people to "say it with flowers." Presumably, the philosophy behind the marketing strategy was to prompt customers to convey feelings through the simple act of giving flowers.
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