Flowers In Life

In this modern age of hi-tech gadgets and costly designer wear, people have still found a reason for cultivating, buying, wearing or even just to be around flowers simply because of their beautiful appearance and wonderful fragrance.

People around the globe belonging to different religions and beliefs use flowers for a wide gamut of reasons, which include events and functions that could very well encompass one's whole life cumulatively.

Flowers symbolise different occasions in different beliefs. Some of the popular occasions for which they are used are new births and christenings, as a token of love or esteem, at social functions or for holidays as a corsage or boutonniere. Flowers also augment the beauty and joy of weddings and a bridal party, where they are used in plenty for decorations and bouquets.

Flowers are also used within the home for brightening decorations, welcome home parties, as remembrance gift for bon voyage parties, and also as thinking of you gifts. The flowers not only symbolise the joyous events of one's life but are also used to express sympathy for those who are grieving at funerals.

In Western culture, many flowers have symbolic meanings. The term "floriography" represents this practice of giving meanings to various flowers. The most popular examples of these meanings assigned to flowers include red roses, which universally represents the symbol of love, passion and beauty.

Poppy flowers are used as a token of consolation during times of death. In countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the UK, the death of war heroes is commemorated by wearing red poppy flowers. Flowers like Irises and Lilies are used in funerals as a symbol of resurrection of life. The flower is associated with the Sun, due to its bright petals resembling the shine. Daisy flowers represent the innocence of one's feelings.

Flowers are not only used for the expression of feelings and emotions but also are used as important foods and spices. Saffron, which is the most expensive spice, comes from the dried stigmas of a crocus. Hops flowers are used widely to add flavour to beer, and wine makers often use dandelion flowers to make wine. Some feed marigold flowers to chickens in order to give the egg yolks a more desirable golden yellow colour.

There are a wide variety of edible flowers, though only a few are marketed as food stuff. Flowers like chrysanthemum, sunflower, carnation, chicory and so on are edible, and sometimes flowers like daisy, rose and the like are candied. Flowers are also used to add flavour and colour to salads and also dried flowers like rose and jasmine are added to tea not only to infuse their fragrance but also for their medicinal properties.

Flowers are a long-time favourite subject of well known painters such as Van Gogh and Monet. Most cultures associate flowers with femininity, and it has inspired the works of artists like Judy Chicago and Georgia O'Keeffe. Flowers have also inspired the work of Romantic era poets like William Wordsworth and William Blake. Nowadays, dried and freeze dried flowers are used to create three dimensional flower art pieces.