Speaking of Love – Don\’t Forget Flowers for Valentine\’s Day

Imagine having a conversation with someone. Now imagine trying to have that same conversation without speaking or writing. Suppose it was an intimate conversation with someone you love. Suppose the conversation was with someone you\’d like to know better. How would you develop a relationship or even carry on a conversation without speech or writing?

That was the situation during much of the 1800\’s in Victorian England. Extreme discretion was required. Emotional expression, especially if it was romantic in nature, was strictly taboo. Such thoughts couldn\’t even be whispered or written down. As a result people soon found other ways to express their thoughts and feelings. One popular way was to attach special meanings to flowers.

As a result, secret meanings were given to every type and color of flower. Bouquets became secret messages. An exchange of flowers became a conversation without words. The way the flowers were presented and the way they were accepted also added meaning. Many secret messages were romantic in nature, but some were rejections or insults.

Together with the language of flowers, small bouquets, known as tussie-mussies, became a secret way to declare intentions and make refusals, acceptances and rejections. Flowers allowed Victorians a way to express their emotions and thoughts without speech or writing.

Eventually the symbolism became so complex that help was needed to decipher the messages. Dictionaries and even whole books were written to ensure that the messages were properly conveyed and clearly understood.

Over time, many cultures have used flowers to express emotions. The Greeks, Persians and the Japanese, for example, have all created their own flower language. The meanings change to fit the need of the specific culture but the need to express emotions with flowers has continued to this day.

Flowers were an important part of the courtship process in many cultures over the centuries. These elaborate and lengthy rituals would bewilder our modern culture, but led directly to the prominent use of flowers in our modern culture. Flowers are an important part of many holidays such as Easter, Mother\’s Day and Valentine\’s Day.

Like the Victorians, we still use flowers to express our emotions. Unlike them, our messages are typically much simpler. For Valentine\’s Day this year, instead of sending a simple message, try a bouquet of mixed flowers for a message full of hidden meaning. Search online for \”language of flowers\” for some great ideas. Be sure to add a note to the bouquet to explain the deeper message. Don\’t forget to order your Valentine\’s flowers early to ensure a timely delivery.

Need to send Valentines Day flowers? Valentines florist A-Bow-K delivers to Tampa and the surrounding communities. A-Bow-K Florist and Gifts is a family owned http://www.a-bow-kflorist.com Valentines florist in Tampa.