There is a secret language we know, the language of symbols. Symbols surround
us in myriad forms and form part of our daily
lives. Many of
the symbols we take for granted today as static signs of
religious or secular life were created long ago. Over time,
they have acquired layers of increasingly complex meaning, and
this evolution of meaning tells us much about how we developed
our ideas about the nature of life and the universe.
Here are just a few associated with the garden
Carnation: a symbol of betrothal or engagement.and China,
a carnation is a symbol of marriage. In our family it symbolizes
death.
Chrysanthemum: in Japan, 'mums are a symbol for long
life.
Clover leaf: trinity luck.
Daisy: symbol of innocence
Iris: associated with death as Iris was a Greek goddess
of the rainbow, . The three upright petals and three drooping
sepals are symbols for faith, valor, and wisdom.
Jasmine: Hindu symbol for love
Juniper: symbolizes chastity (because juniper berries are
protected by the tree's thorny leaves), Christ (an association
with the crown of thorns place on the head of Christ),
Lily: symbolizes purity, chastity, and innocence.
Lotus: a common symbol in Asian art, the lotus symbolizes
birth and rebirth through the fact that the petals open when the
sun comes out and close when the sun sets. Also a symbol for
fertility, creation, and purity. the flower represents the
enlightenment to which we aspire.
Orchid: a symbol of perfection. The spots on an orchid
sometimes represent the blood of Christ.
Poppy: a symbol of death
Thistle: a thorny plant with a beautiful flower, the
national symbol of Scotland. It's thorns symbolize both evil and
protection. In Christianity it represents the suffering of Christ.
China is famous as being home to many thousands of
varieties of flowers. The ten most widely
appreciated and culturally significant peony, Chinese herbaceous
peony, camellia, azalea, narcissus, chrysanthemum, plum blossom,
lotus, The flowering crab apple,the orchid, the pine and bamboo
are also very popular. Many different aspects of plants, flowers
and trees are admired, including their shapes, colors, and scents.
Furthermore, they are often endowed with spiritual and human
attributes. In Chinese, the expression Three Friends in Cold
Winter refers to pine, bamboo and plum trees. Similarly, the
expression Four Men of Honor refers to plum, orchid, bamboo and
chrysanthemum, and Four Elegancies refers to the simple yet
graceful orchid, chrysanthemum, narcissus and calamus. The .pine is held in high esteem as one of the Three Friends in winter because it is evergreen, grows straight and tall, and can
endure cold weather with relative ease. People there value it as a symbol
of integrity, tenacity and uprightness
Bamboo has many rhetorical implications
in Chinese culture. Somewhat similar to pine, the fact that it is
evergreen, and its stems are strong and hard make it an apt symbol
of integrity, strength and loyalty. In Chinese, the hollow aerial
culms and the nodes of bamboo are homophones for modesty with
self-esteem. The worship of bamboo as a form of divine being was
recorded in several classical history books, including The Annual
of the Huayang Kingdom, which was one of the earliest chronicles
of southeast China. It was also mentioned in The History of the
Later Han Dynasty.
The graceful plum
blossom can withstand freezing cold that kills other flowers, and
also has a delightful scent. Because it is the earliest blossom to
bloom after winter, it stands out among its peers. And like bamboo
and pine, the plum blossom also had its legion of fans. Lin Bu a
Song Dynasty hermit who lived at Mt Gushan near the West Lake in
Hangzhou was famous for his love of both plum trees and cranes. An
idiom, 梅妻鹤子, literally meaning plum
as wife and cranes as children, actually was generated from Lin
Bu's way of life, as a metaphor for a lifestyle free of worldly
worry
The chrysanthemum is regarded by Chinese people as
strong, graceful, and with no desire for fame or gain.
Over time many other poets have
written about how the chrysanthemum flourishes in autumn, and
maintains its delicate scent despite the cold wind attempting to
sweep it away. For Chinese people, these are values to be held in
high esteem.
The peony is another flower prized in Chinese culture. It
is enjoyed for its stately color and heavenly fragrance. Due to
its grace and poise, it is a fitting symbol of splendor, wealth,
and happiness. Among others, it was proposed as the national
flower of China.. Peony
has been endowed with the quality of indifference to the powerful
and the influential, and strength to stay true to its own
principles.
Narcissus, the water fairy, is considered special
because it grow in clean water and exudes an elegant and pure
fragrance. Due to these attributes it is regarded as possessing
pure and refined qualities.
Peach blossoms are thought to represent
pretty ladies.
The Lotus ,due to the fact it grows in mud but manages to
achieve to be visually pleasing, lotus stands for grace and
purity. .
The seed of the red bean shrub is a token of love. (handpicked, wild flower describes
a woman one has an affair with. A popular Chinese song includes t
line "Don't pick a wild flower by the roadside", meaning it is
better to stay faithful to one's
love.
MY JOY!
