Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Use Flowers To Show Your Feelings

By Jocelyn Fisher

Dating back to ancient times, flowers have been a gesture of kindness. We usually present them to those we love and care for. We send flowers to show them how important they are, to show appreciation, 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 definitions of their own.

Floriography - the unique language of flowers

During medieval and Renaissance times, flowers were often given moral meanings. This is apparent in artwork where saints are often shown with flowers that symbolize the saints' 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 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 Persian Salaam, a Turkish secret language of flowers, a coded bouquet was sent to express feelings of attraction, even love.

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

Japan also has their variant of floriography, called "Hanakotoba." Greeting cards created in Japan follow the Hanakotoba code, and still use the flower-language in popular culture such as in films and animation, like the anime program "Wei Kreuz."

Favorite Meanings of Flowers

Buy or borrow a dictionary of flowers to see the several meanings and interpretations 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 noble thoughts * Yellow tulip - hopeless love

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