In literature and art, the use of flowers is often associated with femininity, but flowers are often simply just inspiration for great works such as Van Gogh’s portraits of sunflowers or Wordsworth’s classic poem about daffodils fluttering gently in the breeze.
If you think about it, flowers feature all through people’s lives. When a baby is born we send congratulations flowers, and they decorate the church at the Christening. When somebody gets married, we might send congratulations flowers again, as well as using them for bouquets, buttonholes and corsages. We have flowers delivered for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, an anniversary, or simply just to say thank you. And finally, flowers feature heavily in a funeral procession and as marks of respect and tokens of sympathy.
For Hindus, flowers are highly significant because one of their gods, Vishnu, is depicted standing on the lotus flower. Many Hindus also bring flowers to temples as a gift in order to worship their goddesses. For the Chinese, flowers are used as a means of communication, the most important flower being the peony – China’s national flower, symbolising happiness, prosperity and peace. Lotuses too are highly valued by the Chinese, considered a symbol of divinity and perfection.
Different cultures have different practices. For example, it would be offensive to present someone with a potted plant in Asia, and in Russia, flowers are given in odd numbers for happy occasions. While yellow flowers are commonly symbols of happiness and friendship in the UK, they are used for funerals in Russia. In Texas, yellow roses are considered the most passionate, while this is the red rose across the pond. Meanwhile, in Egypt flowers are only given for funerals and weddings, so make sure you check the recipient’s culture before placing an order for a big flower arrangement!
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