Flowers have served as messengers of human emotion across civilizations for thousands of years. Their ephemeral beauty, vibrant colors, and delicate fragrances have made them universal symbols of love, mourning, celebration, and reverence. This guide explores the rich traditions of flower gifting throughout history and across cultures.
Ancient Civilizations
Ancient Egypt (3000-30 BCE)
The ancient Egyptians were among the first to incorporate flowers into daily life and ritual. Lotus flowers held sacred significance, symbolizing rebirth and the sun. Egyptians crafted elaborate floral garlands and bouquets for religious ceremonies, funerals, and celebrations. Archaeological evidence from tombs reveals that flowers were essential grave goods, with pharaohs buried alongside carefully arranged blooms. The blue lotus was particularly prized and often depicted in art and hieroglyphics as a symbol of creation and divine birth.
Ancient Greece and Rome (800 BCE-476 CE)
Greeks and Romans elevated flower gifting to an art form. Greeks associated specific flowers with their pantheon of gods—roses with Aphrodite, narcissus with the myth of Narcissus, and violets with Persephone. They wore floral crowns during celebrations and scattered petals at weddings and festivals.
Romans took this further, using flowers extensively in public and private life. They threw rose petals during triumphal processions, adorned banquet tables with elaborate arrangements, and even carpeted floors with flowers for important guests. The wealthy commissioned slaves to cultivate exotic blooms in elaborate gardens. Romans also developed the practice of giving flowers as romantic gestures, a tradition that has endured for millennia.
Asian Traditions
China (Ancient to Present)
Chinese flower culture dates back over 3,000 years and is deeply intertwined with philosophy, medicine, and art. The “language of flowers” in China assigns specific meanings to blooms based on their characteristics and homophonic associations. Peonies symbolize prosperity and honor, making them popular wedding flowers. Chrysanthemums represent longevity and are given during autumn festivals. Plum blossoms signify resilience and hope, as they bloom in winter.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), flower arranging became a refined art practiced by scholars and nobility. The practice of gifting potted plants and cut flowers became common during festivals, particularly Lunar New Year, when narcissus and kumquat plants were exchanged for good fortune.
Japan: Ikebana and Hanakotoba
Japan developed two sophisticated systems around flowers. Ikebana, the art of flower arrangement, emerged in the 6th century alongside Buddhism. Unlike Western arrangements that emphasize abundance, ikebana focuses on minimalism, line, and the relationship between flowers, stems, and container. These arrangements were given as deeply personal gifts that reflected the creator’s state of mind.
Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, assigns specific meanings to blooms. Cherry blossoms (sakura) represent the transience of life and are central to spring celebrations. Chrysanthemums are so revered they appear on the imperial seal. During the Edo period (1603-1868), gift-giving occasions became more formalized, and flowers played crucial roles in expressing sentiments that social codes prevented people from speaking aloud.
India
In Hindu tradition, flowers are essential offerings to deities. Marigolds, lotus flowers, and jasmine are woven into garlands (malas) for temple worship, weddings, and festivals. The practice of adorning honored guests with garlands dates back thousands of years and continues today. Different flowers are associated with different gods—lotus with Lakshmi and Saraswati, hibiscus with Kali.
Indian weddings are lavish affairs where flowers serve both decorative and symbolic purposes. Brides and grooms exchange garlands in the jaimala ceremony, symbolizing their acceptance of one another. Turmeric and marigold flowers are used in pre-wedding rituals for their auspicious properties.
Middle Eastern Traditions
Persia (Ancient Iran)
Ancient Persians were master gardeners who created the concept of the paradise garden—an enclosed space filled with flowers, fountains, and fruit trees. Roses were particularly beloved, and Persians developed sophisticated methods of cultivating them and extracting rose water and attar. Persian poetry is replete with floral imagery, with roses symbolizing divine love and beauty.
Flowers were given as diplomatic gifts between rulers and as tokens of affection. The tradition of scattering rose petals to honor guests originated in Persian courts and spread throughout the Islamic world and beyond.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottomans developed an elaborate “language of flowers” called selam. In the 18th century, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of the British ambassador to Constantinople, documented this system and introduced it to Europe. Tulips held special significance in Ottoman culture during the “Tulip Era” (1718-1730), when they became objects of obsession and speculation, similar to Dutch “tulipmania.”
European Traditions
Medieval Europe (5th-15th Centuries)
During the Middle Ages, monastic gardens preserved both flowers and knowledge of their medicinal properties. Flowers took on Christian symbolism—white lilies represented the Virgin Mary’s purity, roses symbolized martyrdom. May Day celebrations involved creating flower crowns and giving posies of wildflowers. Herbs and flowers were carried in small bouquets called “tussie-mussies” both for their pleasant scent and believed protective properties against disease.
Victorian England (1837-1901)
The Victorian era represents the peak of formalized flower language in Western culture. Floriography—the language of flowers—became extremely elaborate, with entire dictionaries published to decode floral messages. Every flower, color, and even the way flowers were presented carried specific meanings. A bouquet could communicate complex emotions that strict social conventions prevented one from speaking aloud.
Roses declared love, forget-me-nots pleaded for remembrance, yellow carnations expressed disappointment. The way flowers were given mattered too—presenting them upside-down reversed their meaning. A single flower said something different than a bouquet. This coded system allowed Victorians to conduct covert courtships and express forbidden feelings.
Men courted women with carefully composed bouquets, and women responded with their own floral arrangements. The practice became so popular that gloves, jewelry, and decorative objects were adorned with floral motifs that initiated could “read.”
Dutch Golden Age (17th Century)
The Netherlands experienced “tulipmania” in the 1630s, when tulip bulbs became so valuable they were treated as currency. This period reflected the Dutch fascination with horticulture and exotic flowers. Dutch still-life paintings from this era celebrated floral abundance, and flowers became status symbols. The tradition of giving tulips remains strong in Dutch culture today.
The Americas
Pre-Columbian Civilizations
The Aztecs cultivated extensive gardens filled with flowers for religious ceremonies and royal pleasure. Marigolds (cempasúchil) held sacred significance as they were believed to guide spirits. This tradition continues in Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, where marigolds create paths from graves to altars, welcoming deceased loved ones home.
The Incas also used flowers in religious rituals, particularly offering them to the sun god Inti. Native North American tribes incorporated local wildflowers into ceremonies, using them for decoration, medicine, and symbolic purposes in important life events.
Colonial and Modern Americas
European colonists brought their flower traditions to the Americas, where they blended with indigenous practices. In the United States, the Victorian language of flowers took hold in the 19th century. Mother’s Day, established in the early 20th century, became associated with carnations. Proms and graduations developed traditions of gifting corsages and bouquets.
In Latin America, flowers remain central to religious festivals, family celebrations, and romantic courtship. The tradition of bringing flowers to dinner parties, christenings, and visits to the sick is deeply ingrained.
Modern Global Practices
Weddings
Across cultures, weddings remain the occasion most associated with elaborate floral displays. White flowers symbolize purity in Western traditions, while red and gold flowers represent luck and prosperity in Chinese weddings. Indian ceremonies use marigolds and roses extensively, while Hawaiian weddings feature plumeria leis.
The bridal bouquet tradition has evolved from ancient Rome (where brides carried herbs to ward off evil) to the Victorian era (when specific flowers were chosen for their meanings) to modern times (when personal preference often trumps symbolism).
Funerals and Mourning
Flowers serve as tributes to the deceased across most cultures. White flowers predominate at Western funerals, symbolizing peace and innocence. In Asian cultures, white and yellow chrysanthemums are traditional funeral flowers. Some cultures, like Hindu tradition, use marigolds. The practice of sending sympathy flowers helps mourners express condolences when words fail.
Romance and Courtship
Red roses have become the universal symbol of romantic love, particularly on Valentine’s Day—a holiday with ancient Roman origins that has been commercialized globally. However, different cultures maintain unique romantic flower traditions. In Russia, giving yellow flowers is associated with infidelity and separation, while in Japan, camellias represent love and admiration.
Religious and Spiritual Practices
Buddhism incorporates flowers as offerings that represent the impermanence of life. Buddhists present flowers at temples and shrines as acts of devotion. In Christianity, churches are often decorated with lilies at Easter and poinsettias at Christmas. Hinduism uses flowers daily in puja (worship), with different flowers offered to specific deities.
Contemporary Trends
The global flower industry has transformed flower gifting into a year-round commercial practice. Modern florists can source blooms from around the world, making once-exotic flowers readily available. However, this has also sparked movements toward sustainable floristry, emphasizing locally grown, seasonal flowers.
Social media has created new contexts for flower gifting, with elaborate arrangements photographed and shared online. Subscription flower services deliver weekly bouquets, democratizing what was once an occasional luxury. Same-day delivery services make last-minute flower gifts possible, though some argue this diminishes the thoughtfulness traditionally associated with the gesture.
Despite modernization, ancient symbolism persists. People still choose flowers based on meaning, particularly for significant life events. The act of giving flowers continues to transcend language and culture, expressing emotions that words alone cannot capture.
Florist guides
From ancient Egyptian tombs to modern Instagram posts, flowers have remained constant companions in human celebration, mourning, worship, and love. While specific customs vary dramatically across cultures and eras, the impulse to give flowers springs from universal human needs—to beautify our spaces, honor our dead, celebrate our joys, and express our deepest feelings through nature’s most transient beauty. This tradition, thousands of years old, shows no signs of wilting.