Many religious and cultural celebrations are full of symbolism, from the event itself to the flowers used for decoration. Every flower has a rich history of meanings that various religions and cultures have adopted or even defined themselves. Since the symbolism behind specific blooms can differ from culture to culture, the experts here at Griffin’s Floral Design are discussing a few religious and cultural celebrations and the most appropriate flowers used to honor the event.
What Are Symbolic Flowers for Baptisms?
When an infant or young child is welcomed into the Catholic or Christian Church, a baptism or christening is held to wash away original sin. Many close friends and family members attend as witnesses and celebrate with the child. During the church ceremony, the baby wears a traditional white gown, and the alter is typically adorned with white blooms. The white outfit paired with white flowers, including baby’s breath, roses, lilies, carnations, gladioli, orchids, hydrangea, and calla lilies, symbolize holiness, purity, innocence, virtue, a clean slate, and the Virgin Mother Mary. Baptism celebrations may also include soft pink blooms like roses, carnations, and gerbera daisies or soft blue blooms like hydrangeas, iris, or forget-me-nots.
What Are Traditional Flowers for Quinceañeras?
In Hispanic and Latin American cultures, a woman’s 15th birthday is one of the most important moments in her life. As she celebrates this special milestone birthday, she is honored as a young woman entering adulthood. Quinceañeras are commemorated with an elaborate formal party for family and friends, complete with catering, dancing, traditional ball gowns, tiaras, and flowers – which are a crucial part of the traditional festivities. Many Quinceañera gowns are pink, white, or pastel in color, making pink, white, and pastel blooms an obvious choice for the young woman’s bouquet. Roses are also a traditional flower at Quinceañeras as the stems signify strength and the petals represent sweetness. In fact, during the thanksgiving mass, prior to the formal party, the young woman’s grandparents may present her with 15 red roses. It is also during this mass that she offers her floral bouquet to the Virgin Mother Mary. Other symbolic blooms that you might see in Quinceañera bouquets and decor are daisies, sunflowers, tulips, gerbera daisies, and other natural, delicate stems.
What Flowers Are Associated with Bat Mitzvahs?
When a young girl transitions into a young woman and affirms her identity within the Jewish religion, she is honored with a Bat Mitzvah. These celebrations are usually grand, and like a Quinceañera, include food, music, dancing, and a lot of fun. Choosing a theme for her Bat Mitzvah party that mirrors and celebrates her identity and hobbies is of the utmost importance as it symbolizes who she is. Therefore, picking the best flowers for a Bat Mitzvah means selecting meaningful blooms that match her theme and/or represent her favorite color. A few popular Bat Mitzvah flowers are roses, as they symbolize beauty, peonies, as they represent good luck, honor, and femininity, ranunculus, as they are connected with radiance and charm, gerbera daisies, as they symbolize beauty, purity, and innocence, and sunflowers, as they are linked to optimism, sunshine, and happiness.
What Flowers are Linked with Bar Mitzvahs?
Bar Mitzvahs are the same Jewish tradition as Bat Mitzvahs except this celebration revolves around a young man’s right of passage into adulthood and his identity within the Jewish religion. With the same symbolic traditions as Bat Mitzvahs, young men solidify their personal identity and the flowers chosen for their celebration should reflect this. A lot of young men choose more masculine flowers and greenery like white blooms, succulents, green hydrangeas, and other stems that match their party theme. Orange flowers like birds of paradise, which represent excellence, success, and freedom, are perfect for a basketball-themed Bar Mitzvah. Like Bat Mitzvahs, selecting flowers and decor for any young man’s Bar Mitzvah should always be done with his preferences in mind and his input.
What Are Significant Flowers to Celebrate First Holy Communions?
A child’s First Holy Communion is a day in the Christian or Catholic religion when they are able to receive and eat the bread and wine of Christ. It is a representation of the sacrifice Jesus made and the covenant given to God by his followers. As a First Holy Communion party often follows a Sunday mass, many flower arrangements and decor are involved in this religious celebration, as well as flower bouquets given to children as gifts. White lilies, especially Madonna Lilies as they represent purity and the Blessed Mother Mary, are some of the most popular flowers for a First Holy Communion. In addition, baby’s breath, a symbol of everlasting love which is interpreted as God’s everlasting love for his children, pink roses, symbolizing grace, peach roses, symbolizing modesty, daisies, symbolizing innocence, and honeysuckle, symbolizing devotion, are other wonderful choices for First Holy Communion floral arrangements.
The next time you find yourself planning or celebrating a religious or cultural event, keep in mind the perfect flowers to symbolize and reflect the event’s meaning. From centerpieces and floral decor to gifting bouquets and arrangements as congratulatory tokens, there is always a way to commemorate a special event with flowers from Griffin’s Floral Design.
