Flowers Can Say What You Can't

By Florian Jackson

Dating back to historical times, flowers have been a profession of kindness. We usually gift them to those we care for. We send flowers to show them how special they are, to show admiration, to celebrate occasions, or even to sympathize. What we don't know is that giving certain kinds of flowers, and even their colors, actually have definitions of their own.

The Language Of Flowers

During medieval & Renaissance times, flowers were often given moral meanings. This is evident in artwork where saints are often shown with flowers that symbolize the saints' virtues. In an edition of Sixteenth Century Journal, Liana DeGirolami Cheney stated that "some of the Christian symbols for Virginity or Chastity are the white rose, the myrtle, a vessel or vase, the lily, and the unicorn."

During the Victorian era, flowers began to create or add emotion. The language of flowers, often called floriography, began being used as a discreet form of communication. In the 18th century, sending messages in code using flowers became popular. Based on a Turkish secret language of flowers, known as Persian Salaam, a coded flower arrangement could be sent to profess feelings of attraction or even love.

Back in 1819, a book entirely about interpretations of flowers called "Le Language des Fleurs," was written by Madame Charlotte de la Tour. A similar book, "Language of Flowers" by Kate Greenaway, was written in 1884 and is still being used today.

Japan also has a language of flowers, which they call "Hanakotoba." Greeting cards printed in Japan use the Hanakotoba code, and still apply the flower-language in popular culture such as in films and cartoons, like the anime program "Wei Kreuz."

Well-Known Meanings Of Flowers

Buy or borrow a dictionary of flowers to see the various interpretations and meanings of flowers. Some very popular flowers and their corresponding meanings are written below:

Buttercup - riches Pink carnations - a woman's love Chrysanthemum - love in general Forget-me-not - true love Lavender - devotion, distrust Purple lilac - first emotion of love White lily - purity Peach blossom- long-life Red rose - true love Sunflower - pure and noble thoughts Yellow tulip - hopeless love

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