Blue flowers have long been associated with feelings of sadness, grief, and mourning. Throughout history and across cultures, the color blue has carried symbolic meaning and evoked particular emotions. The meanings associated with blue flowers provide insight into cultural perspectives on sadness and bereavement. Understanding the symbolism behind blue flowers can give deeper significance to their use in bouquets, art, literature, and ceremonies.
The Cultural Significance of the Color Blue
The color blue has distinctive symbolic meanings in cultures around the world. In many Western cultures, blue represents sadness, mourning, and grief. This association likely originated with the religious use of blue to symbolize solemnity and sincerity. In Christianity, blue came to represent virtue, divinity, and faith. However, in contrast to these positive meanings, blue also took on connotations of coldness, depression, and melancholy.
Across different eras of Western art history, blue was increasingly associated with mourning. In the Middle Ages, blue was used in funerary art and to color mourning garb. By the 17th and 18th centuries, blue was firmly established as the color of mourning dress in Europe and America. Queen Victoria wore blue after the death of her husband Prince Albert, further solidifying blue as the color of grief in the Victorian era.
In Eastern cultures, blue holds different symbolic significance. In India, blue represents immortality and is commonly worn at funerals. In China, blue symbolizes healing, relaxation, and immortality. However, blue flowers like hydrangeas and morning glories carry a negative meaning in China, representing heartlessness and frigidity.
Blue Flowers in Mythology and Folklore
References to blue flowers appear throughout mythology, folklore, and literature. These symbolic flowers reveal how different cultures have perceived and responded to grief, mourning, and bereavement.
In Greek mythology, the blue anemone flower sprang from the tears of Aphrodite as she mourned the death of Adonis. The Victorian language of flowers, which assigned symbolic meaning to different blooms, designated blue violets and blue hyacinths as representing faithfulness or constancy.
An old European superstition held that if a person dreamed of blue flowers, it was a sign that the dreamer would soon attend a funeral. Blue morning glories were believed to bring bad luck in friendship and love in Chinese folklore. In the language of herbs, blossoms like lavender and bluebells signaled sadness and regret.
Specific blue flowers have become famous for their melancholic and mournful symbolism through poetry and art. Alfred Tennyson’s poem “The Blue Flower” and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Mezzo Cammin” both use the blue flower as a metaphor for grief, longing, and the elusive nature of happiness.
Common Blue Flowers and Their Meanings
Many blue flowers carry cultural associations with grief, mourning, and bereavement. Here are some of the flowers most closely tied to sadness through symbolism, meaning, and tradition:
Hydrangea: In Western culture, blue hydrangeas symbolize frigidity and apology. In Asia, they embody heartlessness and neglect. Their negative connotations link them to sadness and regret.
Iris: Purple or blue iris flowers represent faith, hope, wisdom, and valour. They suggest deep, thoughtful emotion rather than surface-level grief.
Cornflower: This bright blue bloom represents bachelorhood, celibacy, and sometimes widowhood. It evokes emotional distance and loneliness.
Morning Glory: In China and Japan, the blue morning glory represents unrequited, forsaken love. It conveys heartbreak and abandonment.
Rose: Though rich in positive meanings, a blue rose expresses the longing for the unattainable and speaks to human grief over disappointment.
Violet: Blue violets symbolize faithfulness but also carry Victorian associations with death and eternal sleep. They blend love and loss.
Forget-Me-Not: True to its name, this tiny blue flower represents remembrance and memories of those departed.
The Cultural Uses of Blue Flowers
The meanings associated with blue flowers have established their cultural usage as symbols, gifts, and decorations for expressing sympathy and acknowledging loss. Here are some of the key ways blue flowers are used to convey sadness:
Funerals: Blue flowers like hydrangea, iris, and larkspur are popular choices for funeral arrangements and sympathy bouquets. They create a meditative, consoling setting.
Wreaths and Arrangements: Blue wreaths or blue-dominant mixed bouquets are traditional gifts for funerals, memorial services, burials, and wakes.
Graveside Tokens: Individual blue blooms or small sprays are left on graves as tokens of remembrance and grief. Forget-me-nots are a traditional choice.
Condolence Gifts: People commonly give blue flowering plants like hydrangea or violet to convey sympathy when someone is grieving a loss.
Poetry and Art: Blue flowers are featured prominently in melancholy art and poetry dealing with death, loss, regret, and romantic disappointment.
Examples of Blue Flowers for Grieving and Memorials
If you wish to use blue flowers to express condolences or commemorate someone who has passed, here are some classic choices that convey sympathy and grief:
Iris: Available in late spring and early summer, these perennial blooms work beautifully in any memorial setting. Different iris varieties feature shades from pale blue to deep indigo.
Hydrangea: These lush, clustered blossoms bloom from spring to late summer in varied blue hues from serene sky blue to rich sapphire. They convey solemnity.
Cornflower: Delicate cornflower blossoms in light airy blue make simple, touching funeral flowers. Pair them with greenery for serene arrangements.
Morning Glory: Though inauspicious in Asia, their deep blues lend poignant symbolism in Western memorial bouquets. Let them wind through arrangements.
Bachelor’s Button: Also known as cornflower, these hardy annuals come in white, pink, purple, and blue blossoms that work nicely in mixed bouquets.
Choosing Arrangements for Somber Occasions
When selecting blue flowers to create funeral or memorial arrangements, keep these tips in mind:
– Choose a variety of blue hues from pale to deep midnight blues for visual interest. But avoid bright, cheery blues that feel out of place.
– Mix in white blooms and greenery to prevent arrangements from feeling too dark or heavy. Baby’s breath, ferns, eucalyptus, and soft greens lighten the look.
– Add a touch of grey or silver for a more sober, subdued effect. Dusty miller, artemisia, and lamb’s ear complement blue flowers.
– Incorporate flowers with round, curved shapes rather than sharp points or spiky textures. Rounded hydrangea, iris, and larkspur petals feel comforting.
– Select flowers like lilies, orchids, roses, carnations, and chrysanthemums to create classic, traditional blue funeral arrangements.
Alternative Flower Colors for Sympathy Bouquets
Blue is the traditional choice for funeral flowers, but it is not the only option. Here are some other flower color meanings and options:
– White flowers convey purity, innocence, and peace. White lilies, roses, tulips, and chrysanthemums add an angelic quality.
– Purple or lavender blooms symbolize sorrowful remembrance and speak of spirituality and the afterlife. Options include lavender roses, carnations, asters, and hyssop.
– Pink flowers represent gentle consolation, grace, and sweet affection. Pale pink roses, peonies, gladioli, and carnations communicate subtle warmth.
– Yellow flowers evoke fond memories of happier times. Yellow rose sprays, mums, gladioli, and daffodils provide touches of brightness.
– Pastel mixed bouquets with soft blue, purple, pink, and white blossoms make understated, soothing arrangements.
Conclusion
Blue flowers carry a diverse range of cultural meanings associated with grief, mourning, and bereavement across both Western and Eastern symbolism. Traditional blue blooms like hydrangea, iris, violet, and morning glory speak to sadness and commemoration. Arranging blue flowers provides a meditative way to honor those who have passed and show sympathy to the bereaved. While blue remains the classic hue, other flower colors like white, purple, and pastels also have a place in memorial settings. With their poignant symbolism, blue flowers thoughtfully embody and express human experiences of loss and remembrance.
