History and importance of flowers for funerals

importance of funeral flowers

Flowers have always been an integral part of the funeral culture. In the hours of farewell, they are not only a greeting to the deceased but also show solidarity, compassion, and sympathy with the bereaved. They provide comfort if suitable words are missing.

Flowers also have an aesthetic value added to death, since the beauty of the flower helps to balance our emotional response to the ugliness we perceive in the face of death. The flowers help to compensate for the raw ideas of death that remain among those who live.

Flower symbols for funerals

Throughout history, wreaths of funeral flowers have been used to symbolize every aspect of the cycle of life, from birth to death. For example, the fragility of life has been represented with flowers. To grow and expand, flowers require special conditions. The same goes for human beings. In death, flowers are used to symbolize how the beauty of creation is temporary, just as the flower has to be cut by the stem: the same importance of funeral flowers is true of human life.

In order to give an insight into the floral language of mourning floristry, we have summarized the most important messages.

Rose: Red roses speak of deep love and intimacy beyond death, while white roses are a symbol of purity, transience, and silence.

The rose, the queen of flowers, expresses a strong sympathy and is therefore chosen by close relatives and close friends as a mourning flower.

Calla: The white calla symbolizes immortality and is therefore used for a long time in the funeral floristry. As a very noble flower, it also stands for admiration, elegance, and beauty.

Lily: The lily is a symbol of light, a sign of innocence, purity, and hope.

Especially white lilies, as traditional dead flowers, stand for the pure love and the purity of the heart.

Gerbera: The Gerbera speaks to the deceased to have made life more beautiful. In all colors, this flower is used at funerals and stands for sun, light, and warmth.

Chrysanthemum: The Chrysanthemum has long been used as a traditional mourning flower for the memory of the dead. The chrysanthemum with its dense, lush flower head is a symbol of love beyond death.

Carnation: The carnation is the symbol of love and true friendship. White carnations symbolize eternal loyalty.

Marguerite: The petals of the daisies symbolize the shed tears and are therefore often found on the tombs.

Tulip: The tulip is a symbol of affection, beauty, and transience.

As the name implies, the flower stands for eternal togetherness, love beyond death and tender memory.

Palm leaf: Palm leaves were a sign of victory in Roman society and later also became a symbol of peace. Frequently, obituaries show the image of a palm frond and the words “rest in peace”.

Palm leaves are thus both a symbol of peace and the victory over death and the resurrection.

Ivy: The evergreen ivy has been a symbol of immortality since early Christianity. In addition to the hope of resurrection, ivy stands for fame, friendship and faithfulness.

Buchs: The book stands for loyalty, perseverance and eternal life, as well as for love across all borders. Boxwood branches, historically a symbol of the afterlife, are used regionally as a copy for the funeral.

Not only flowers have a special symbolism, but also the funeral wreath itself and the colors of the flowers.

The ring shape of the wreath without beginning and end is a symbol of infinity, which does not end with the earthly life. Almost all wreaths are made in the color green, the color that has always symbolized the hope.

The color white stands for purity and light in the floral language and is free from negative occupations. Yellow and orange flowers bring some light and warmth into the mourning season. In addition, the soul should be able to recognize yellow or orange flowers particularly well. Red or pink flower colors express love, deep feelings and close connection. Violet stands as a sign of dignity. Therefore, purple is often used in funeral flowers to pay tribute to the deceased. green symbolizes as already mentioned the hope and blue the faithful memory.

Finally, the colors of the flowers have a specific symbolism, particularly for religious. For example, purple is a symbol of penance and royalty, white is the symbol of joyous celebration and bright light, and green symbolizes nature and the freshness of growth.