Going Back To Our Roots

History of the Tradition of Flower Giving

Have an anniversary coming soon? Give them flowers! Don't have a gift for your friend's birthday? Grab a bouquet of their favorite blooms! Want to cheer up your loved one but don't know how? Flowers will do the trick!

Giving flowers as a gift has been consistent through different periods and cultures. But when exactly did it start?

In this article, we explore the history of the practice of flower giving. We'll see how it progressed through history and spread around the world.

Finally, we discover why this tradition was so important in the Victorian Era. We see how almost everybody knew exactly the meanings and messages flowers kept.

For a crash course on the language of flowers, go to our next article!

Interested in a formal course? Want to get certified as an expert on all things floral? We urge you to look into organizations that offer programs in floristry, such as:

• American Institute of Floral Designers (www.aifd.org).

• Society of American Florists (www.safnow.org).

• American Floral Endowment (www.endowment.org).

Flowers and Gift-Giving Traditions.

The earliest dates of gifting flowers go back to the time of Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and the Roman Empire.

These three societies often used flowers in religious practices. They based their own personal use of flowers on their beliefs.

The Greeks used them as props for storytelling. They also made them into decoration for ceremonies. Later on, they began exchanging flowers to show love towards each other.

Societies throughout history have kept the practice of gifting flowers. During the Middle Ages, people from Turkey created the first list of symbolisms for flowers.

This later spread throughout the world. Other cultures adapted these to their traditions and beliefs.

The Victorian Era and Flowers.

People from the Victorian Era are often known for being at the height of elegance.

But did you know they used flowers to reveal deep, unspoken feelings towards one another?

Back then, people were getting more into gardening and flower care. They sought to grow robust, vibrant flowers. They also grew new flower species.

The flowers, in turn, acted as a form of communication. It relayed messages between lovers, friends, families, and even acquaintances.

Flowers shared sentiments ranging from "I love you", to "I treasure you, dear friend", to "I'm sorry". They played a vital role in how Victorian-era citizens made their emotions known.

See, Victorian people thought that saying how you feel was tacky. So they adapted the list of flower meanings back in the Middle Ages. Then, they applied these into how they interacted with each other.

This even included romances! Courting was usually carried out through exchanges of flowers.

Some groups even developed alternative meanings to flowers. They did this to communicate in secret, hidden from prying eyes.

Not long after, most people knew what each and every flower and floral arrangement meant. They could hold an entire conversation without saying a word.

The practice of flower giving became very popular. Soon enough, people began using bouquets to send certain messages to people. Even the way that the person presented the floral gift became part of their message. This tradition continued (of course with less dramatic quality) throughout history.

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