Birth flower
Each month has a flower that symbolizes the month of somebody's birth. The characteristics that the flower has may be "inherited" by whomever is born in that certain month person. Every month has a flower that is sometimes referred to as a Birth Month Flower.
Flowers by month is a term describing flowers related to a recipient's birth month, and in general flowers associated with particular months of the year. It is one of a class of specialized categorizations offered by florists.
In a cultural sense, flower characteristics such as appearance, color, and scent, have relevance as gifts. It is believed that it were the Romans who started celebrating birth and birthdays using flowers. Seasonal flowers were used not just for decoration, but also taken as gifts and therefore can probably be credited with the tradition of birth flowers. Some have been inspired by this tradition to create lists that associate a birthday flower with each of the days in a year.[1]
List of birth-flowers
British style
| Month | Flower | Symbolization |
|---|---|---|
| January | Carnation[2] | Love, fascination and distinction. Worn on Mother's Day, Teacher's Day, St. Patrick's Day (in green, of course) and at weddings, this hardy, sweetly fragrant flower is also the flower of Spain. |
| February | Violet[3]/Iris | Faithfulness, Wisdom and Hope. Violets convey the meaning that you will always be true. Violets come in shades not only of Purple, which is what people commonly think of, but also of White. |
| March | Daffodil[4] | Spring, Rebirth, Domestic Happiness, Respect, Regard and Friendship. The Daffodil is synonymous with Spring as it is the epitome of rebirth and new beginnings. |
| April | Sweet Pea/Daisy | Love, Youth, Purity. The Daisy conveys innocence and there are five common types. |
| May | Lily of the Valley | Humility, Chastity, and Sweetness. Sweetly scented and rare this flower also signifies a return to happiness. |
| June | Rose | Love and Appreciation, while other meanings depends on each colour. The meanings of Roses can vary from Love, Passion, Beauty and Perfection. The meaning depends upon the colour. For example, Red says love and romance, White symbolizes innocence, purity, and remembrance. |
| July | Larkspur | Levity and Lightness. Its natural beauty comes in gentle hues with refreshing fragrance. There are different meanings for each colour. Pink denotes contrariness, White expresses a happy nature, and a first love is usually symbolized by Purple. Strong bonds of love are represented by the Larkspur. |
| August | Gladiolus | Strength, Moral Integrity, Remembrance, Infatuation. This long lasting flower comes in a variety of colours. |
| September | Aster/Forget-me-not | Patience, Daintiness and Remembrance. This flower conveys deep emotional love and affection. |
| October | Marigold | Warm, Fierce. They exemplify elegance and devotion. |
| November | Chrysanthemum | Compassion, Friendship, Joy. Chrysanthemums have different meanings. Red is for Love, White means innocence, and Yellow denotes unrequited love. |
| December | Poinsettia | Good Cheer, Success. The Poinsettia comes in three colours Red, White, and Pink. “You Are The Special One” is the message this flower sends. |
US style
| Month | Flower | Symbolization |
|---|---|---|
| January | Carnation/Snowdrop | fascination, distinction, love |
| February | Primrose | modesty, distinction, virtue, |
| March | Daffodil | spring, rebirth, domestic happiness, vanity |
| April | Sweet pea | good-bye,or blissful pleasure |
| May | Hawthorn/Lily of the Valley | happiness, humility, sweetness |
| June | Rose/Honeysuckle | love, gratitude, appreciation |
| July | Water Lily/Delphinium | joyful, fickleness, sweet |
| August | Poppy/Gladiolus | moral integrity |
| September | Morning glory/Aster | daintiness, love, magic |
| October | Calendula/Marigold | winning grace; protection; comfort; healing |
| November | Chrysanthemum/Peony | cheerfulness, friendship, abundance |
| December | Holly/Narcissus | sweetness, self-esteem, vanity |
Flowers By Month Explanation
Enumerated below are flowers of the month and their special meanings which are associated with specific months. It would be a helpful guide for gifting flowers for someone’s birthday. The language of flowers was introduced to England in the early 18th century by Mary Wortley, Lady Montague, whose husband was Ambassador to Turkey.[5]
January: In the north of the northern hemisphere, January is a cold and gloomy month, but in non-frozen areas, many flowers will bloom in the cool weather, and carnation is one of them. The flower associated with the month is Carnation and is said to symbolise love, fascination and distinction. Carnation, which is also commonly called Gillyflower, is found in a number of colors from pink to purple-red.
February: This month is associated with St. Valentine’s Day and red roses. However, the flower for the month is Violet. The flower symbolises faithfulness, humility and chastity. Gifting violets in the Victorian era conveyed the message’ I’ll always be true’. The flower is found in shades of blue, mauve as well as yellow and cream. One must remember that an older English name for the plant is "heartease."
March: This month is synonymous with the onset of spring (in the Northern Hemisphere). Accordingly, the flower associated with this month is Daffodil also known as Jonquil or Narcissus. The colours of the bloom include white, yellow and orange. A gift of these flowers conveys the hidden meaning of friendship and happiness.
April: This month is associated with Sweet pea flower which bloom in a wide range of soft colors as well as two tone colours. It is said to symbolise pleasure or good-bye. In the Victorian era, these flowers formed a part of the bouquet which was sent to someone to convey gratefulness.
May: The month of May is associated with the Lily of the valley flower. It is generally white in colour. The flower conveys sweetness and humility. In the Victorian era, it was gifted to convey the romantic message ‘you have made my life complete’.
June: Rose is the flower of this month. Though roses are available in many colors from red to pink to white to yellow, all with their own special meanings, the underlying message the flowers convey is that of love and passion.
July: Larkspur is the flower for July. With its simple form, feelings of open heart and ardent attachment are attributed to it.
August: The flower for this month is the Gladiolus. It blooms in a variety of colours like red, pink, white, yellow and orange. It stands for sincerity and symbolises strength of character.
September: Aster or September flower is the flower for this month. It is found in a number of colours – pink, red, white, lilac and mauve. The name of the flower which looks like a star is derived from the Greek word for star. The flower symbolises love, faith, wisdom and colour.
October: Marigold or Calendula is the flower associated with October. For the Hindus, the month of October is associated with festivals like Dusshera and Diwali and Marigold, an auspicious flower is part of religious ceremonies. However, in the English culture, marigold stands for sorrow and sympathy.
November: Chrysanthemum, which stands for cheerfulness and love, is associated with the month of November. According to Feng Shui, Chrysanthemums brings happiness and laughter in the house.
December: Narcissus, These flowers symbolize sweetness
See also
References
- ↑ Jones, Gertrude (1962). Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore, and Symbols. New York: The Scarecrow Press.
- ↑ http://www.teleflora.com/carnation/flowers-plant-info/carnation-detail.asp
- ↑ http://www.almanac.com/content/birth-month-flowers-and-their-meanings/
- ↑ Leeds, Lois (March 23, 1944). "Beauty Arts". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
- ↑ Loy, Susan. "History of the "Language of Flowers" Book". Literary Calligraphy. Retrieved 15 January 2015.