Meanings of flowers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flowers are an important gift item in modern society. They are suitable as gifts on a variety of occasions- Birthday, Graduation Day, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, to name a few. One thing that is worth keeping in mind while presenting or receiving flowers as gifts is the meanings associated with different flowers. These meanings came to be conventionally accepted and seem to vary from culture to culture. In the western culture, there are some standard meanings associated with different flowers[1]. The convention of associating meanings with flowers has been systematized and is now talked of as the language of flowers.
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[edit] Sample flower meanings
Here are the meanings associated with some flowers. Amaryllis flowers are associated with pride, Daffodils are associated with chivalry and heather is associated with admiration[2]. The meaning 'passion' associated with rose is well-known. Within the category of roses, there is a multitude of meanings associated with roses of various colors.
[edit] The right flowers for the right occasions
There are some conventions about which flowers are most suitable for which occasions. As examples, let us consider the occasions of birthday, wedding day, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day. Usually bright-colored flowers are chosen for birthdays. Seasonal flowers are considered most appropriate for a wedding day. For the Valentine's Day, roses are supposed to be the best and for Mother's Day, carnations thought to be most appropriate[3]. There are other flowers that are deemed best for the number of other occasions that are celebrated.
[edit] Why use flowers
The reason for preferring flowers to convey a message rather than use words is very simple. This way, the communication of the idea becomes more beautiful and subtle. The visual effect seems to make the experience of giving and receiving gifts stick to memory in a more effective way than a mere stream of words.
