The tradition of giving flowers as an emotional sentiment dates back to ancient times. As an act of social custom, early civilizations in Greece, China, Egypt, and Rome expressed their emotions through the gift of flowers. In the Middle Ages, this custom was carried on. Prominent in Turkey, where flowers are given for a variety of reasons; the English and French soon adopted these customs and made them their own.
During the Victorian era, a time when the discussion of emotional expression was considered taboo- and a sign of poor manners; people opted to express their feeling through bouquets of flowers instead of through words.
While typically Victorian in nature, the act of giving flowers soon involved its own set of rules and guidelines, and any up-standing citizen must strictly follow these rules, otherwise fear they might send the wrong message- or worse- be considered socially awkward for not following the rules.
Rules regarding the gifting of flowers were evident in all cultures, in France for example it was once believed that gifting an even number of flowers was considered unacceptable, because it meant that the flowers were purchased from a shop, as opposed to being home-grown. Clearly, during these times, it was the sentiment that counted.
Today, the tradition of giving flowers as an expression of emotion is still strong, and the reasons behind gifting flowers have also significantly evolved. While we still give flowers to express love; gifting bouquets, flowers, and plants for a variety of different reasons, covering an array of emotions- has become a mainstay in society today.
Common examples of gifting flowers may include: to express joy and celebration (weddings, engagements, birthdays, anniversaries, homecomings, births); to express sympathy (funerals, losing a job/promotion, departures); to express well-wishing (illness/hospitalization, missing work/school, injury, simply missing someone) to express achievement/pride (graduation, retirement, promotions, winning a tournament, good grades, passing exams, sports achievements); to express appreciation and support (thank you, job support/staff, peers/educators, clients/suppliers); to cheer someone up; and even to express guilt.
There is an expression, “Say IT with flowers”- perhaps more aptly put- Say “Anything” with flowers- given the number of things one might want to say. They also say Actions speak louder than words- and flowers have been bringing smiles to faces for thousands of years.
Flowers are and have become, an integral element in the representation of emotions in societies all over the world. We use flowers, not only to help say what we are feeling- but also as a physical representation of those feelings and emotions (visually- vibrant colors, smell, touch) that will last days or weeks after that moment has passed. That’s the true meaning of flower power. So, what are you waiting for? Unleash the power and send some flowers to someone today!
