Monday, 18 January 2010

Speaking With The Language Of Flowers

By Christine Jackson

Since ancient times, flowers have been a motion of kindness. We usually give them to those we care for. We send flowers to show them how special they are, to show appreciation, to celebrate an occasion, 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 Renaissance and medieval 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. In an edition of Sixteenth Century Journal, Liana DeGirolami Cheney said 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 were used initially to create or add emotion. The language of flowers, often called floriography, began being used as a discreet form of communication. During the 18th century, sending messages in code using flowers became popular. Based on Persian Salaam, a Turkish secret language of flowers, a coded flower arrangement was sent to express feelings of attraction, even love.

Back in 1819, a book entirely about meanings of flowers called "Le Language des Fleurs," was written by Madame Charlotte de la Tour. Another was written in 1884, titled "Language of Flowers" by Kate Greenaway, and it is still being used nowadays.

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."

Favorite Meanings Of Flowers

Purchase or borrow a dictionary of flowers to see the various meanings and interpretations of flowers. Some of the most well-known flowers and their meanings are listed 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

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment