More Than A Gift

Flowers are able to convey every emotion that the human heart is capable of feeling, including joy, jealously, desire, dejection, loneliness, melancholy, and love. During the time of Elizabeth I, many people were aware of the mythical and metaphorical meanings of flowers. However, it wasn't until the Victorian era that people began to ascribe straightforward meanings to specific flowers. Charles II brought the Victorian manner of floral language to the Swedish court in 1714, and it was not long before it became popular across Europe. During this period of strict protocol and conformity, men and women used the beauty and color of flowers to express emotions, wishes, and thoughts that they dared not speak aloud. Each corsage, bouquet, and garland represented a carefully chosen sentiment, and they were used to express these feelings in a way that was socially acceptable. Presentation was also very significant; for instance, a bouquet that had a ribbon attached to the left may tell you something about the person who gave it to you, but a ribbon tied to the right could tell you who it was going to. Receiving an inverted rose was the ultimate sign of rejection, therefore bouquets arranged with the flowers facing the wrong way showed the exact opposite of what the flowers often signify. Flower Language attained such prominence that the German word "durch die Blumen sprechen," which translates to "speaking via flowers," became a Western idiom. This expression refers to any flowery or lyrical language that conceals a coded message of love.