Flower Meanings

Today I went walking in Central Park, something that I've done pretty much every day since graduation. It's been sunny recently, so almost the entire city has flocked to the park to enjoy the sunshine and the warmth. The lawns were dotted with families and friends tanning or playing frisbee - it's almost like Seurat's Grand Jatte. Fun!

However, while the scene was filled with greenery, there was a lack of pretty flowers, which made me kind of sad. I love flowers - they are so colorful and so cheerful, and just make almost anything beautiful. I flashed back to the last day of Chinese class, when we read a text about the meaning of certain flowers.

One popular Chinese flower is the chrysanthemum, symbolic of a strong life. It makes a great gift - as long as the blossoms are not white or light yellow in color - those are reserved for funerals.

Lotus flowers, on the other hand, represent people who have succeeded despite being from an underprivileged background. Lotus flowers grow and blossom from the murkiest parts of ponds - from such humble beginnings arise one of the most useful plants in nature: its roots are edible, its flowers bring beauty, its seeds have medicinal properties.

Beautiful girls are often compared to peach flowers, which flower in the spring, usually in time for Chinese New Year. It is thought that buying a whole pot of peach flowers during CNY will bring luck in finding love in the upcoming year. Hmmm. Remind me to get one of those next February.

But my favourite plant meaning is that of the humble bamboo plant. Bamboo is extremely resilient and full of life and is alive during all four seasons, even in the harsh winter. It is flexible when hammered by winds, bending and swaying gracefully, but refuses to break. I think it's going to be my new icon.