In religion, the lily is extremely revered.
The meaning of white developed down a different path in Asia, and instead is tied to death and the afterlife instead. Carnations, a simple flower with deep meaning in most Asian cultures. It is a six-petaled flower with six stamens, white in color with yellow at the base of each flower. In the West, wedding halls are bedecked with bursts of white roses and similar flowers.

Christians believe the lily to be a symbol of purity and chastity, due to its association with the Virgin Mary, whose tomb was adorned with them. White flowers are often overlooked today for their more colorful counterparts, but the stark petals of these blossoms send their own beautiful message that you can’t replicate with just any other color. In Greek and Roman mythology, the lily is strongly associated with the goddess Hera (Juno in Roman), when the first snow-white lily sprouted from drops of milk spilled from her breast, after she nursed Heracles.

– particular meanings were attributed to the lily, with the ancient Greeks and Romans believing the lily represented purity, innocence, fertility and eroticism, as well as virtue, chastity and prosperity.

Add another layer of significance to your next floral gift by adding a few more white flowers. The Easter lily is the symbol of Virgin Mary. White lilies are an obvious symbol of purity, especially since many Christian denominations use the snowy Madonna Lily to represent the Virgin Mary. During Medieval times, the elegant lily was considered a sign of feminine fertility, and it was said that if you offered a mother-to-be a rose and a lily, her choice would determine the gender of her child – a rose for a girl and a lily for a boy.

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From these early uses and stories – which date back to 1580 B.C.

Please verify your e-mail address for password delivery. Purity and cleanliness was the trend of the day in Victorian England, and the fiber bleaching processes had just caught up to the demand for whiter and brighter fabrics. Lily colors meaning: Above all, the beautiful and spotless lily is an eternal beauty. Please enable JAVASCRIPT for smooth browsing of our website. We'll save up to 20 items for 14 days on this computer.

While she was nursing her baby (Hercules), some of the milk from her breast fell to earth. In her jealousy, she created a pistil and added it to the flower, in order to mar its perfection. Whichever meaning you attribute to this gorgeous flower, a fresh lily delivery from Interflora is sure to make your loved one smile. html goes here if it would let me copy it.

It’s unlucky to give someone white flowers for other occasions, so bringing the wrong bouquet could ruin the whole mood of the event. Generally though, lilies were revered in ancient times for the same reason they are today – for their outstanding beauty and alluring scent!

Flowers play diverse role in human life representing a unique meaning. This is also where the lily’s association with funerals stems from, as their use represents the soul’s departure and restoration to a pure, innocent form after death. The white oleander tops the list with its toxic flowers and leaves, but it’s still commonly planted as a decorative shrub because of the beautiful blossoms.


The Anglican churches in England often incorporate lilies into their crucifixes, which is said to represent Jesus’ annunciation and crucifixion.

According to its USDA PLANTS profile, it's a member of the lily family (Liliaceae) and genus (Lilium). Finally, in Buddhism, the lily represents female aggressiveness, mercy and compassion. Most importantly, the name lily symbolizes purity and refined beauty.

Make sure you bring white gifts for a funeral and red blossoms for a wedding.

However, bringing white flowers to a Chinese or Taiwanese wedding could get you taken off the guest list for future occasions.

Illumination and inspiration, both artistically and academically.

A white sprig of heather was considered protective and a good luck charm. View more on our Flower Type Meaning Page. Another early reference tells of how Venus – after rising from the ocean waters – spotted a lily and became jealous of its beauty. The white lily's scientific name is Lilium candidum.

Symbolizing humility and devotion, lilies are the 30th anniversary flower - while lilies of the valley are the 2nd wedding anniversary flower. Traditionally, lilies were used as a source of medicine and food, with the ancient Romans using lily bulb juice for treating corns and the Chinese using the bulbs as an ingredient in soups and stir-fries – a practice still used today.