| Millions of people buy flowers for people they love daily – on holidays or special dates, or just in order to make something pleasant to their loved ones. This simple procedure still represents one of the oldest traditions in our history.
Flowers have held the first place all throughout the history of mankind. Traces of their usefulness are presented in numerous religious texts, myths, and folk tales. Various kinds of flowers were used for food and are still applied as food until the present day; others have curing properties and are used as drugs. They were applied by Greeks and Romans a number of centuries ago since people then believed that the fragrance of flowers clears the atmosphere and decreases intoxication. Even celebrated military leaders known for their severity and ruthlessness at war maintained exotic gardens at home.
Because of the high appreciation of flowers by human society they became symbols of numerous nations. Thus, a rose represents the national emblem of Honduras, Iran and England. Italy in its turn is represented by a lily, Japan by a chrysanthemum, Brazil by a Cattleya, Russia by a sunflower etc.
The most significant function that flowers have, however, is their power to awake deep human feelings and thoughts the way no other object can. These plants by some miracle embody beauty and tenderness. They are able to cheer up or to inspire on noble actions. A small bouquet on a table is a symbol of coziness. That's why women, and especially housewives, always include fresh flowers in their planned expenses.
But flowers are symbolic not only in the mentioned way. Each flower has its own significance, and so it can help to express people's feelings perfectly. Flowers have been applied for centuries to send different messages. For instance, the red carnation means “my heart aches for you”. The recipient in his or, more likely, her turn could answer with a cabbage rose (that would mean “I confess my love”) or a dried up white rose that in flower language means “you leave me cold”.
Now the most widespread way to tell about the feeling is sending a floral composition of three long-stemmed red roses to the lady you like. |
