Flowers have been popular gifts since time immemorial. They can be gifted at birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. They are also used to express various sentiments like love, admiration, friendship, etc. Gifting flowers is also practiced even without any occasion to brighten someone’s day.

But have you ever wondered how it all started? Who began the culture of gifting flowers? In which civilization or part of the world did these flower giftings come into existence? How did they find such popularity? Let’s find some answers to these questions.

The earliest history of gifting flowers

The person who gifted the first floral bouquet to whom is yet to be discovered or recorded. Gifting flowers has a rich history spanning hundreds of centuries in many cultures.

The word bouquet has some interesting origins. The word “tussie-mussie,” made in the 1400s, means a small, meaningful bouquet made of herbs, flowers, or both. A bouquet was often used to convey private messages to lovers.

During those days, the church disapproved of people’s public displays of affection. Under such circumstances, giving a bouquet as a gift allowed people to express their romantic emotions without saying anything.

There is sufficient evidence to believe that flowers have been an important part of culture since prehistoric times. The discovery of Flower Fossils gives ample evidence of the presence of flowers in the prehistoric period.

Artists in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries depict flowers in their pictures. Archaeologists have found remains of flower petals in several ancient gravesites.

There is plenty of evidence to prove that gifting flowers was an important part of the culture in the Middle Ages when flowers were often gifted as charity. During that period, flowers were a part of tradition and superstition. It was believed that giving flowers to the leading lady at the end of the play was lucky for the play.

Floriography

The language of flowers that people use to communicate with each other. This language is hundreds of years old and originated in Persia and Turkey, but it developed and became popular in the Victorian era.

The growth of this language contributed vastly to the growth of the flower gifting culture. The more people took an interest in knowing about flowers, the more they started gifting flowers to convey their feelings.

The French and English came across an entire language of flowers on their visit to Turkey in the mid-1700s. King Charles II of Sweden was exiled to Turkey, and he learned the language of flowers there.

This language, which gave distinct meanings for different flower types, inspired a Victorian culture of gifting flowers based on the unique meaning of every flower. The language became so detailed that the military started using flowers to convey secret messages between troops.

The French and English people also had many beliefs which linked flowers with magical powers. This led to flowers being actively cultivated in the Victorian gardens. This, in turn, encouraged communication through flowers.

Victorians and flower gifts

The Victorians were typically shy about expressing their emotions in words. Any overt expression of emotions was considered bad manners. This was when gifting flowers became popular as an unofficially approved means of communication among people. Gift flowers were safely used to express emotions that could not be expressed in words.

The people of the Victorian era took great effort to understand flowers and gave meaning to every flower characteristic. The color of the gifted flower, its size, condition, accompanying flower, and even the position of the flowers were all used to convey various messages without uttering a word.

A flower presented to someone upside down conveyed the opposite meaning of its original message. The presentation of the gift flowers and the hand used to present it also conveyed deep-seated meaning. For example, red roses gifted upside down were seen as symbols of anger.

The Victorians also created books and guides to understand the language of gift flowers. Some books explained how to understand flowers and a flower dictionary. Different authors wrote the books at different times, but they all contributed to increasing the popularity of gifting flowers.

Gifting flowers in various cultures

The stories and myths in the history of Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese all reference gifting flowers. 

  • The people of Ancient Greece associated flowers with gods and goddesses as flowers were gifted to gods as offerings. Slowly men started gifting them to beautiful young women to express their love.
  • Chinese writings and Egyptian hieroglyphics mention flower gifting traditions. Egyptians have a tradition of gifting flowers to gods and lovers to express their love and admiration. Egyptian myths mention songs and feasts dedicated to the lotus flower. Roses find plenty of mention in Egyptian culture and sayings. 
  • Flower gifting is popular in Japanese tradition. Floral gifts are routinely given to the sick in Japan. 
  • In countries like Ghana, flowers are the most popular gifts due to their association with nature. 
  • French culture associates different meanings and values with different types of flowers.
  • Medieval Europe adopted the culture of assigning meaning to individual flowers from the Middle East. 
  • Great Britain has a culture of floral gifting when invited to people’s homes.

Gifting flowers on Valentine’s day

In Rome, the tradition of flower gifting originated in the third century on Valentine’s Day. Giving flowers to your loved ones on 14th February is a sign of commitment worldwide. The sale of roses touches new highs during Valentine’s Day.

Besides Valentine’s Day, gift flowers are popular during Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Teacher’s Day. The commercial celebrations of these days have increased the popularity of gift flowers.

Gifting flowers in the United States

Do you know in the United States, it was once considered inappropriate for a woman to give flowers to a man? But in present times, it is perfectly fine. 

Native Americans were deeply connected to nature, and flowers are a part of their stories and beliefs.

The Society of American Florists was established in the late 1800s and began the tradition of modern gift flowers. The organization worked hard to create awareness about flower gifting by launching nationwide advertising campaigns. It is partly due to their efforts that, in the present day, gifting flowers has become commonplace in America.

Flowers are usually gifted during rites of passage. Flowers are also popular gifts for special occasions or expressing sentiments to your loved ones in the United States.

History of gifting flowers in Asia and Africa

  • Southern parts of Africa follow a tradition of gifting flowers during Christmas. 
  • In Egypt, flowers are gifted only during weddings and funerals.
  • Chinese have a culture of gifting peonies to teachers. 
  • Russians follow the tradition of giving a single flower to their guest of honor. They also celebrate Woman’s Day with gifts of red roses, hyacinths, and tulips.

Gifting flowers in the Philippines

Due to the Catholic traditions in the country, the Philippines has a strong history of flower gifting. The Filipinos follow a tradition known as Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), in which devotees offer flowers for the Virgin Mary.

The celebration continues throughout the entire month. After the festivities, the devotees gather the flowers and bring them home as gifts for their loved ones.

Gift Flowers and Festivals

Gift flowers are also popular during festivals like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Festivals signify happiness, and what better way than a bunch of flowers to add to the cheer? The use of flowers for festival gifting has added to its popularity.

Present-day flower gifting

In earlier times, flowers were gifted to show love or appreciation. The flowers were mostly plucked from your private garden, or they were those available locally.

But as with everything else, flower gifting has evolved considerably. Gift flowers are available in a wide variety and can be economical or elaborate, depending on your budget.

Better transportation means that flowers can be transported quickly across the world, and people can choose from various blooms. Scientific flower cultivation has ensured the growth of unseasonal blooms.

The Internet plays a big role in expanding the scope of flower gifting. You can send flowers to anyone worldwide with a click of a button. Virtual flowers are another option for gifting flowers.

The Internet provides knowledge about the variety of gift flowers available. It also provides options to order flowers from any part of the world.

With more awareness and easy access, the demand for exotic flowers is growing all over the world. This provides many opportunities for gainful employment for florists, cultivators, and sellers. Gift flowers have been around for centuries and have a bright future.

Conclusion

It is clear from the above discussion that the customs and traditions of countries across the world have contributed to the growth of the flower gifting tradition.

Today, the tradition of gifting flowers continues. However, gifting flowers or bouquets developed many different meanings through the years. Moreover, the dos and don’ts of gifting flowers have gained importance in today’s society.

The reasons behind gifting flowers have evolved as well. While it may have started as merely conveying love for another person, there are many reasons why people choose to give flowers today.