What Traditional Funeral Flowers Symbolize
When choosing flowers to send to Monticello, FL funeral homes, many people are not aware that certain varieties of flowers have deeply-embedding meaning when used for funerals. While many people are requesting charitable donations in the place of flowers as a way to contribute to their funerals, flowers are never going to go away completely as part of funerals.
Traditionally, the immediate family buys the casket spray. There is not any certain flower or color that must be in this spray. It’s a highly personal choice and often reflects their loved one’s favorite flower and color. Other family members buy standup sprays for the funeral. These are often personalized to the deceased’s tastes as well, although not always.
All other flowers are sent to the funeral home by friends, colleagues, and other associates. These are the flowers that typically fall within the tradition and symbolism that is connected to funerals.
White lilies are a traditional funeral flower. They symbolize sweetness, restored innocence, and purity.
Roses are also traditional funeral flowers. However, each color has a different associated meaning. Roses, in the big scheme of things, are love flowers. They indicate a close relationship that includes care and affection.
Red roses, of course, symbolize love, and red roses at a funeral symbolize the love you will always have for the person who died and the continuing love you have for the grieving family. Half a dozen red roses represent wives, mothers, or grandmothers.
White roses symbolize purity. White roses at a funeral are a reminder of the deceased’s purity of heart and soul. Nine of these declare love for the deceased.
Pink roses symbolize respect, admiration, and appreciation. They can also represent gracefulness. Pink roses at a funeral show that the deceased was admired, respected, and had honorable character.
Black roses symbolize death, sorrow, sadness, and mourning. Since black is the default color in the West for death and everything related to it, it is no surprise that black roses would be part of the traditional flower array found at funerals.
Yellow roses symbolize strong, abiding bonds, and are traditionally given by the deceased’s close friends to acknowledge the unbreakable ties between the deceased and them.
Rosemary is another traditional funeral flower. It can be included in a bouquet or given as a plant to grow in memory of the deceased. Rosemary symbolize remembrance.
Pink carnations have long been part of the funeral flowers tradition. They symbolize that the deceased will never be forgotten and their memory will live on after them.
Heliotrope is sweetly-fragrant violet flower that tells both the deceased and the deceased’s family that they are loved. They can be given in a bouquet or as a plant.
Leaves from Aspen trees, while not technically flowers, are traditionally used in flower bouquets because they symbolize sadness and sorrow when used in funeral flower arrangements.
Orchids are also popular funeral flowers. They symbolize grace, strength, beauty, purity, and everlasting love.
Ivy, like Aspen trees, is not a flower, but a climbing plant. However, ivy is traditionally used in both funeral floral arrangements and at gravesites. Ivy symbolizes friendship, commitment, loyalty, and faithfulness.
If you want to learn more about funeral flowers at Monticello, FL funeral homes, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help. You can come by our funeral home at 20 S. Duval St., Quincy, FL 32351, or you can contact us today at (850) 627-1111.
