In the traditions of many countries and peoples, there are flowers and plants that signify death - they are woven into mourning wreaths, they are presented as a sign of sadness and placed on the graves of the deceased...
Calla lilies
In many European countries there is a superstition that callas are flowers of death, but there are only assumptions about where this sign came from. In some countries, the color white is associated with sadness and funerals, so white calla lilies are brought as a bouquet to the cemetery or planted on a grave. For the same reason, you should not give white flowers to older women.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemum in Japan is the flower of death - and at the same time the flower of the emperor, only they had the right to decorate their clothes with it, others were killed for this.
In Italy, chrysanthemum is a symbol of love; a symbol of deep silent sadness; symbol of death.
In England, chrysanthemums are not so much flowers for bouquets, but funeral flowers.
In Europe, white chrysanthemums are considered mourning flowers and a symbol of deep sadness. Wreaths of them are laid on graves in France.
Higanbana
Higanbana (red spider lily) is a red flower and a symbol of autumn in Japan. This flower has many names, each more beautiful than the other: fire flower, dead man's flower, ghost flower, hell's color, fox's color, razor flower, poisonous lily, heavenly flower.
Among the Japanese, higanbana is considered an unlucky sign, so they avoid planting it in gardens.
Bulbs, stems and leaves contain strong plant poison. And this flower grows in cemeteries, closer to the dead and ghosts, and often no one plants it - it grows on its own.
Poppies
Poppy symbolizes oblivion, silence, sleep, death. As you know, poppies symbolize the blood spilled on the battlefields. In Greece, the poppy was dedicated to Hypnos - the god of sleep, Thanatos - the god of death, Morpheus - the god of nightmares. Also, the statues of Nyukta (goddess of the night, Demeter and Ceres were decorated with poppy wreaths for the sake of oblivion of grief for the stolen daughter by the god Pluto/Hades.
The violet is a symbol of death and sadness among the Greeks.
There is a legend: “When one day the sun god Apollo was pursuing one of the beautiful daughters of Atlas with his burning rays, the poor girl turned to Zeus with a prayer to shelter and protect her. And so the great thunderer, heeding her pleas, turned her into a wonderful violet and hid her in the shadows their bushes, where since then it has bloomed every spring and filled the heavenly forests with its fragrance. There, perhaps, this lovely flower would have remained forever and would never have come to us on earth, if it had not happened that Proserpina, the daughter of Zeus and Ceres, Having gone into the forest for flowers, she was kidnapped by the suddenly appearing Pluto just at the time when she was picking violets. In fright, she dropped the flowers from her hands to the ground... and it was these violets that served as the ancestors of those violets that grow here and to this day"
The violet was considered by the Greeks to be a flower of sadness and death, which was used to decorate both the deathbed and the graves of young, untimely dead girls.
Daffodils
Narcissus is a flower of spring, a symbol of death in youth (Narcissus blooms and fades quickly).
The Legend of Narcissus = Narcissus is a wonderful young man. Son of the nymph Lavriona and the river god Cephisus. Many sought his love, but the proud and narcissistic Narcissus rejected everyone, considering only himself worthy of love. After the nymph Echo died of unrequited love, Nemesis, as punishment for his narcissism, made him fall in love with his own reflection. The young man did not have the strength to tear himself away from his reflection and he died of exhaustion, turning into a flower - the beautiful and cold flower of death, the daffodil. One version of the legend says that Narcissa was punished by Aphrodite, angry that the young man was rejecting her gifts. She heard the request of one of the nymphs rejected by him that the one whom Narcissus loved should not reciprocate. According to another legend, Narcissus had a twin sister, and after her unexpected death he saw her features in his own reflection.
Hyacinth, anemone
The flowers of sadness and death among the ancient Greeks were not only roses, but also lovely spring flowers, which in our minds personify the spring awakening of nature. In addition to narcissus and violet, it is also hyacinth and anemone.
Roses and lilies
In Ancient Egypt, the white lily flower was considered a symbol of the transience of life. The same personification of the short duration of human existence for the inhabitants of Ancient Greece was the rose. In their opinion, the beauty of a flower passes as quickly as our life. But on the grave monuments of the Hellenes, a rosebud is often depicted, which was
infinity symbol. It was this ritual meaning of the rose that passed from the Greeks to the Romans.
Let us also note that black roses, as it happens in history, are an emblem of sadness and a symbol of death.
Carnations
According to an ancient legend, once upon a time, gods lived on Earth. And one day the goddess Artemis (Diana), the daughter of Zeus and Latona, returning from a hunt, saw a shepherd who was playing the flute and did not suspect that the sounds of the flute scared and scattered all the animals in the area. Angered by the unsuccessful hunt, the goddess shot an arrow and stopped the heart of the beautiful musician. But very soon the goddess’s anger gave way to mercy and repentance. She called upon the god of gods, Zeus, and asked him to turn the dead youth into a beautiful flower. Since then, the Greeks have called the carnation the flower of Zeus, the wise and powerful god who gave the young man immortality.
According to the floristic tradition of making funeral bouquets, if you did not have time to ask forgiveness from the deceased, then striped carnations will do it.
Eustoma
Eustoma is a bright flower that can often be found in wedding bouquets. However, it is also used for mourning ceremonies. There was a legend among the American Indians about the origin of this flower. According to legend, the leader of the tribe had a young and beautiful daughter, she was so beautiful that the spirit of war, a terrible and evil deity, fell in love with her. The spirit of war wanted to marry a young beauty. However, the girl refused without reciprocating. Then the deity became enraged and killed the girl, and he razed her father’s house from the face of the earth. The people of the tribe buried the leader and his unfortunate beautiful daughter. And the next day, wonderful lilac bell flowers were discovered on their grave. Since then, the Indians began to revere this flower - for them it personified the innocent soul of a deceased beauty.
Rosemary and periwinkle
To complete a funeral composition in Europe, rosemary branches were often used as a symbol of fidelity, and periwinkle - a sign of good memory and eternal love. very often planted in cemeteries in Europe. This is periwinkle - a simple creeping plant with evergreen leathery leaves. Since ancient times, it was considered the personification of perseverance and vitality. Our ancestors believed that if you hang a periwinkle over the front door, no evil spirits will be afraid. Planted on a grave, periwinkle is a sign of ever-greening love and faithful memory.
White carnations and black roses, poppies and dahlias, camellias and zinnias testify to boundless sadness.
Funeral wreaths made of bells, cyclamens and irises are a symbol of humility, submission and hope.
Irises symbolize rebirth and show that a person who has passed away still remains in your heart.
To emphasize dignity, pride and nobility, mourning compositions include, in addition to the flowers described above, gladioli, nasturtium, and magnolia.
In the modern world, fir, spruce, pine and juniper branches are most often used when compiling mourning baskets and making ritual wreaths.
These plants represent hope, time, rebirth, victory over death.
