Flowers perfectly replicate human emotions and they have a language of their own. Flowers can prominently represent love, happiness, best wishes, along with sympathy and sadness. They are used for showing condolences and respect towards a deceased person. This is the reason why flowers are common in funerals.
A funeral is a ceremony to commemorate the life of someone who recently passed away. The customs and traditions of funerals involve many rituals across countries and religions. One such important ritual that is common to all religions and cultures is to present flowers to the deceased. It represents visual sympathy and grief when anyone passes away. The flowers given in funerals have different meanings and purposes, which vary according to the experience, beliefs, and traditional significance. However, these beliefs and sentiments are still represented through flowers as they used to represent before.
History of Funeral Flowers
Presenting flowers is a heartfelt way to show respect and grief towards someone who passed away. This ritual of giving flowers on funerals as a part is history. The arrangement of flowers around the dead is a popular method of mourning. This was traditionally done to mask the smell of a dead body. There were different kinds of flowers placed nearer to the decaying body and the amount and arrangement used to depend upon the environmental condition and time of burning the body. However, with time the remedy of the smell was discovered, but flower arrangements stayed.
Flowers are still used as a part of the funeral across countries and religions worldwide. Slowly the role of ‘flower lady’ developed in the funeral practices near mid-west of the globe. This role was to hold importance for acting as a pallbearer. Later this tradition was modified as six ladies were requested to carry flowers to the cemetery and decorate it. However, slowly all these cultures evolved and in modern days, the role of flowers in the funeral changed.
Importance of Saddest Flowers
In the modern world, saddest flowers are used in many different ways. Human emotions are represented through them. Since death is a difficult situation for people to express their feelings in words, the saddest flowers when given at funerals represent their grief and sorrow. The mourning feeling for the deceased person can be truly expressed by the flowers. Some sad flowers are meant to signify the expression of love, sorrow, comfort, sympathy, and respect for the deceased person. Flowers are arranged nearby to the dead person to create a background for warmth and simplistic beauty for adding dignity and sophistication at the funeral. Condolences can be deeply represented by the presentation of saddest flowers at the funeral service. The beauty and sereness of flowers evenly balance out the grief and heavy environment because of death. Saddest flowers help the family, relatives and the close ones of the deceased person to accept the reality and provide consolations.
Saddest Flowers for Funeral Service
Flowers also holds a spiritual significance and can represent various stages of human life, starting from birth to death. However, the following flowers are considered to be the saddest and appropriate for funeral services:
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Orchids
Orchids have a wide variety of species, and among them, the white orchids or the orchids with light color petals are considered well foe funerals. Orchids represent eternal love, and when they are presented to the deceased person, it means pure and undivided love for that person. Pink and white colored orchid flowers are typically given during funeral services as they represent undying love for the dead.
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Roses
The flower rose represents the feeling of juvenility, innocence, reverence, and humility. Many species of roses are given for happy occasions and roses represent love. However, the dar colored roses are given after the funeral. Dar red roses illustrate love and sorrow. However, close friends can also give yellow roses in a bouquet for their loyalty and love for the person. During funeral or cremation, a single rose in a bouquet represents enduring love for the deceased.
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Chrysanthemums
The flowers of Chrysanthemums are popularly known as mums, and it beholds a very significant meaning surrounding the death. The floral arrangements near the dead body usually consist of chrysanthemums. In many cultures and traditions, these flowers symbolize grief and lamentation. They are the best choice of saddest flowers for presenting to the deceased.
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Lilies
Lilies are very commonly associated with death and it is the most common flower for a funeral. The simplicity and beauty of lilies are appropriate for this occasion. Lilies can evolve the feeling of tranquility and lilies stand-in for the innocence that has been restored after death. Any species of the white lily can be given at a funeral service. However, the white stargazer lily is considered to the saddest flower for any bad news. The flowers should be carefully selected especially there are some species of lily which are not meant for a funeral. Oriental lilies are perfect for the traditional and religious services done after commemorating the dead.
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Carnations
Carnations are very popular flowers given in sympathy arrangements. They have a long-lasting fragrance and they are used for arrangements surrounding the dead body in ancient days to mask the unpleasant odor during funeral service. Pink, red, and white-colored carnations are given in funerals, representing remembrance, love, and innocence for the deceased person.
Floral Arrangements with Saddest Flowers
At different kinds of sympathy situations, saddest flowers are given in some specific type of floral arrangements, such as funeral stands for displaying on the easel, floral baskets for funeral service at church, and dish garden or plants for directly sending to wake to the deceased person’s home. Crosses, wreaths, and hearts made with flowers are used to display near the casket of the easel. These flower arrangements are considered appropriate for funerals.
The expression of sorrow and grief are represented through saddest flowers at the funeral. However, some traditions like Islam and Jewish do not propagate the floral representation during a funeral. In some traditions, such as Hindus are expected to arrive empty-handed at the funeral. Therefore, it is important to know the significance and appropriate use of the saddest flowers.