White Flowers for all occasions

White flowers represent purity, chastity, innocence, life and goodness. Because of this symbolism they have been integrated into many customs, ceremonies and celebrations. These traditions have strengthened over time and show no sign of lapsing. If it's up to us, white flowers will play a rule in society and culture for many years to come.

A lot of meanings and characteristics for colours can be related to religion (or the movies): White = good; black = evil. Therefore, it's only natural to assume that people adopted this symbolism and spread its representation into many aspects of life and the world.

An interesting aspect that plays a role in older traditions is superstition. Perhaps the most familiar ceremony utilizing white flowers and the colour in general are weddings. The usage of white for weddings is directly related to religion, as having the bride advertise her purity brings good luck to the ceremony and the wedding couple's future together. Lets just hope the white dress gives good luck even when purity, innocense and virginity is nowhere to be found.

You can call in remarkable, but white is also used at funerals for its versatility in that it can also represent peace. The white dove is the universal symbol for peace, so white flowers can work well to get that message across. Displaying a white bouquet, wreath or casket spray at a funeral service allows for the delivery of a message of peace and tranquility, which is wished for the soul of the deceased.

Anemone & Alstroemeria

I'd like to take this chance to highlight two varieties which are less popular then Roses, Carnations or Daisies: Anemones and Alstroemeria. The first one I'd like to mention because of the background of its name, the second one just because it looks so darn beautiful.

The story behind the anemone flower's name is a sad one. The name comes from Greek and roughly translates into "windflower". It is said in Greek mythology that the anemone flower sprang up from the blood of Aphrodite's slain lover, Adonis. The name "windflower" signifies that the wind that blows the petal open will also, eventually, blow the dead petals away.

Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, is a South American genus of about 50 species of flowering tuberous or rhizomatous plants. It was named after the Swedish baron Clas Alströmer (Claus von Alstroemer). The plant’s seeds were among many collected by Alströmer on a trip to South America in 1753.

The second origin is certainly more boring and less romantic. I guess you just cannot expect the name always to define the appearance.