I did it before and I'll do it again for kicks. Flower meanings are back because I have gotten into darker topics and need lighter ones. I'd like to dedicate this to Mom, because this was a good idea that I can pull out of my hat whenever I need a lighter topic of discussion. Thanks Mom!
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| Watercolor carnations courtesy of Pinterest |
Gerbera, Carnations, and Peony are my focuses today. I'll go in just that order in this post. I picked 3 common flowers that get put in bouquets because almost everyone will know what they are.
Gerbera
Gerbera Daisy is found native to South Africa. The victorian meaning is happiness. Egyptian meaning is like it, but slightly different. They said it meant closeness to nature and devotion to the sun. Celts said it lessened sorrows and stress. If someone gives a gift covered in these it might be suspected they are hiding something. Mostly the meaning comes to the innocent happiness of children. These are playful and celebratory flowers that give energy.
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| Gerbera Daisies courtesy of blogspot.com |
Much like other flowers, the colors do matter. Orange represents the sunshine of life, red means unconscious in love or fully immersed in love, white means purity and innocence, pink is admiration and high esteem, and yellow is cheerfulness.
Fun fact, a man named Robert Jameson discovered these at a South African mine while on a trip for mining. These also turn toward the sun, much like sunflowers.
Carnation
Carnations are often dyed in all different colors all the time. They don't cost too much, either, and are used to fill holes in bouquets. This makes them popular and easy to work with in florist shops.
Their mythology gets very weird, though. According to floraqueen.com, this is the myth they are attached to.
One of the stories of the carnation comes from the tale of the goddess Diana. Diana, the goddess of the hunt, was out on an expedition when she returned home empty-handed. On her journey home, she came across a shepherd playing the flute. In her opinion, her prey was scared off by this music, so it was his fault her hunt was unsuccessful. She could not control her temper and attacked the shepherd, cutting out his eyes. Where blood was shed, carnations grew.
In a less gruesome tale, some scholars believe carnations history lies in the Latin word carnis, which means “flesh.” They believe this refers to the pink color of the flower. Some also believe that it comes from the Latin phrase incarnacyon, which means incarnation. In Latin, this means “God made flesh.” This may be a very fitting explanation because carnations are often called the “flower of the gods.”
I'm not too sure if that is their origin mythology. They were commonly used for garlands, too.
Again, we dive into colors. I'll give you a chart because this might be a long one.
light red - admiration
dark red - deep love and affection
white - good luck and pure love
yellow - disappointment and rejection
purple - given to sudden and unaccountable change
pink - the power of a mother's undying love or gratitude
This one we can dive into countries, holidays, and faith, too.
Netherlands - (White carnations) opposition to WWII and to honor veterans
France - (purple) used in funerals
Spain and Slovenia - the national flower
Christianity - the virgin mother's tears as Jesus died on the cross
May Day - (red) the labor movement and socialism
Carnations are part of the beauty industry, medical industry, and floral industry.
Peony
Peonies can mean honor through success (to families), wealth and riches, romance (with focus on love between strangers), all forms of beauty, and shame. Mythology says that Zeus had to turn a student into a flower when they surpassed the teacher and got his wrath.
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| Peony courtesy of Flickr |
Chinese tradition says this flower is an emblem of China. It ties to honor and royalty. The Chinese name translates to "most beautiful".
However, the greek myth says nymphs hid their naked forms in Peonies, making the meaning shamefulness and bashfulness during the victorian era. If you dug up one of these shrubs during the middle ages it was frightfully unlucky because fairies weren't known for kindness.
Colors are a short list for the Peony due to the variety of colors. Pink is the most romantic, ideal for weddings if you need a wedding flower suggestion. White or pale pink represents regret or embarrassment. Deep red conveys honor and respect, especially in China and Japan where it is also wealth and prosperity.
This one is medicinal in use for the Paeonia herb, which allegedly purifies against evil spirits. It's also great for all kinds of other needs, but only in the pure extract form.
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