There is much more to flowers than meets the eye! I was sent this by Pro Flowers Intl. when I asked about funeral flowers in China.
"Etiquette of Sending Flowers in China (from
http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/traditional-etiquette-and-taboos.htm)
Sending flowers is a branch of knowledge and also an art. The language expressed by flowers is indeed very rich. Have you ever grasped the profound meaning of the flowers you have received? When you are about to send flowers, will you feel a bit perplexed? Do you know the meaning of the bouquet composed of red and white roses? Do you know that you should deal with lilies before you send it to a sick. Only by expressing and comprehending the meaning of sending flowers well, can you express this art better.
In order to grasp the true meaning of floriculture, first of all, you should acquaint yourself with the language and meanings of flowers, thereby helping flowers exhibit the essence of bright moon, assemble the wit of heaven and earth, and have the beauty of being natural and content. Through long-term evolution, people endow all sorts of flowers with certain morals to indicate affection and express emotions. For example, passing an imperial examination is reputed as "reaping laurels" and sending-off or parting is reputed as "picking up a willow". A peach is offered to an elder to express good wishes for a good life on his birthday. Pomegranate is presented to newly married couple to express good wishes for more sons. As for "pine, cypress, bamboo, chrysanthemum and lotus", they have their own specific and fixed connotations according to their characters.
Flowers of all shapes relate thousands upon thousands of words. To get acquainted with the meanings of flowers, you may start from the common sense of sending flowers.
Because of different national customs, there are also taboos on sending flowers. You can not copy others mechanically. Every flower has a certain meaning and contains a silent language. Therefore, you should choose different flowers according to the receiver's conditions when sending flowers. When congratulating an elder on his birthday, you ought to send jonquil or a Chinese evergreen. Jonquil symbolizes "health and long life" and Chinese evergreen represents "never growing old".
When men and women are in love with each other, men generally send roses and lilies to women they love. Being beautiful, elegant, pure, fragrant, these flowers are the pledge and symbol of love.
When congratulating on a friend's birthday, you ought to send Chinese roses, red palms, golden rod and Baby's-breath. These flowers symbolize splendid prospects during the best years of life.
When congratulating a newly married couple, you should send roses, lilies, tulips, common Freesia, African chrysanthemum, red palms and Bird of Paradise flowers, etc. As for wedding bouquet, adding several branches of Baby's-breath appropriately will make the bouquet florid and refined.
When paying visits to relatives and friends during festivals, you should send lucky grass, lilies, tulips, which symbolize "happiness and luck".
Couples may send lilies to each other, as lilies signify the happy union lasting one hundred years, being after each other's heart, and being together always.
When sending a friend off, it is appropriate to send sword lilies and red palms, which have the meaning of a pleasant trip and splendid prospects.
There are many taboos on sending flowers to a sick person. When visiting a sick person, you should never send a potted flower in case it will be mistaken for an incompletely cured illness after being ill for a long time. Sharply scented flowers do harm to the sick who has received an operation as they tend to cause coughing; flowers with too flashy colors will jar the nerves of the sick and stimulate a feeling of annoyance. It is appropriate to send orchids, narcissus, callas, lilies and sword lilies, etc. You may also choose flowers that the sick person has a preference for at ordinary times. In this way, flowers will contribute to the peace of mind and the sick person will get well as quickly as possible.
When paying a formal visit to an old venerable man, it is appropriate to send orchids as it has a noble quality and also enjoys a good reputation as "the gentleman of flowers".
When a new store is opened and a company starts business, it is proper to send Chinese roses, red palms, yellow chrysanthemums and Bird of Paradise flowers, etc, as these flowers flower over a long period and have exuberant flowers, which means "prosperity and exuberant wealth".
