Flowers and Their Symbolism
BY EMILY MARTINEZ — Staff Writer
Seeing flowers bloom in the springtime can be mesmerizing to see. There are many flowers that can vary in shape and color, but have you ever taken a moment to think what each floral means?
A Forget-Me-Not flower signifies remembrance. It varies in different origins, but one story is that it came from a German fable. In it, a couple walked by the riverbank along the blue flowers, but both fell in. This resulted in the man saying to not forget him to the woman as they got swept away.
The Purple Hyacinth means sorrow in which is meant to ask for forgiveness. This is from Hyacinth, a Greek youth, who was adored by Apollo and Zephyr. He died from Zephyr, god of West wind. Apollo, god of archery, felt grief from Hyacinth’s death and Zephyr’s guilt representing the flower.
This prickly plant called Aloe symbolizes grief. This plant does not hold much folklore or mythology. It is used in Muslim tradition when hanging them on doorways to keep evil spirits away. It’s also important in other religious tradition, such as having Jesus being embalmed in aloe. Finally, it was used in historical and modern witchcraft for protection and luck. Grief comes from its attributes of its taste of bitterness and medicinal use.
A rose in white means purity that signifies innocence, usually seen in weddings. The flower also meant true love in a relationship. This tradition came from Queen Victoria, who held a white rose down the aisle in 1840.
This lovely purple flower named Lilac signifies spring and confidence. It originated from Greek myth of Pan and Syringa. Syringa turned into a lilac shrub in fear of Pan, in which Pan used the shrub to make a pipe. These flowers are associated mostly with Easter holiday.
Tulips vary in colors, but they mainly mean love and passion. This flower is from Persian and Turkish legends of Farhad and Shirin’s love for each other. Sadly, Shirin was killed and led to Farhad to ride his horse off a cliff. Red tulips grew from Farhad’s blood on the ground.
Buttercup is a lustrous yellow flower, and while it has other colors, yellow is the most common. They mean neatness, joy, and friendship. It’s symbolism comes from an old game where you put buttercup petals under a person’s chin. If the yellow reflected on the chin, it means you enjoy butter.
An Aster flower in Greek means “Star” and represents wisdom, faith, love, and color. It comes from a Greek myth in which the flowers bloomed from the tears of goddess Astraea. She was upset from the lack of stars during the night, and so she wept.
If reading their meanings intrigued you to learn more. Search for flowers for the upcoming Valentine’s Day! You could also look into symbolism for other holidays or events.
