Friday, January 22, 2010

Let Flowers Speak For You

By Fritz Jackson

Dating back to historical times, flowers have been used as a profession of kindness. We usually gift them to those we love and care about. We gift flowers to let them know how special they are, to show admiration, to celebrate an occasion, or even to sympathize. What we don't know is that sending certain types of flowers, and even their colors, actually have meanings of their own.

Floriography: (Language Of Flowers)

During medieval and Renaissance times, flowers were often given moral meanings. This can be widely seen in art where saints are often shown with flowers that represent or symbolize their virtues. "Some of the Christian symbols for Virginity or Chastity are the white rose, the myrtle, a vessel or vase, the lily, and the unicorn," according to Liana DeGirolami Cheney in an edition of Sixteenth Century Journal.

During Victorian times, 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 coded messages using flowers became popular. Based on a Turkish secret language of flowers, known as Persian Salaam, a coded bouquet could be sent to declare feelings of attraction or even love.

A book entirely about flower meanings by Madame Charlotte de la Tour, "Le Language des Fleurs," dates back to 1819. Another book was written in 1884, called "Language of Flowers" by Kate Greenaway, and it is still being used today.

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

Well-Known Flower Meanings

Buy or borrow a flower dictionary to see the different interpretations and meanings of flowers. Some very popular flowers and their interpretations 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 lofty thoughts Yellow tulip - hopeless love

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