Flowers and Religion

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– September 15, 2010Posted in: Flowers Facts

For a long time Flowers have been an important symbolic part of many different religious cultures and spiritual beliefs. Throughout history, across the globe flowers are known to have different religious meanings in different cultures. They decorate temples, churches and altars. Let’s take a look at some organized religions and the flowers that are associated with them.

Islam:vases of flowers 300x300 Flowers and Religion
There is no particular flower that Muslims associate with their religion the beauty of each flower is a symbol of God’s spirit. Mostly in Islam the flowers are seen to have been used in funerals and marriages. In Islamic culture, roses and other flowers are often seen as symbols of the Kingdom of Allah. Thus, the Taj Mahal’s allusion to Paradise can be seen in the motif of flowers carved on the funerary chambers of the tomb. Accompanied by fruit or bunches of grapes, the vases of flowers express the abundance that awaits the faithful in Paradise.

Roses are used to signify both male beauty and the blood of Mohammed P.B.U.H, as well as his two sons. The rose of Baghdad symbolizes the law, the path and knowledge, of Allah.

Among the most spectacular of the gardens of Islamic civilization were the Moorish ones of Alhamra in Southern Spain, whose scale can be gleaned to the present day.madona lily 300x237 Flowers and Religion

Christianity:
For the early Christians, flowers were associated with decadent pagans. During the Middle Ages, the Christians appreciated the beauty of nature and regarded this as proof of God’s existence and now flowers are used in many different Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter. The white Madonna lily (Lilium candidum) is associated with the Virgin Mary and symbolizes purity. Another flower pomegranate symbolizes the resurrection and the hope of eternal life in Christianity.

Hinduism:
In Hinduism throughout all ages and countries, flowers regarded as the Hindu worship flower 300x225 Flowers and Religionglorious creations of the Divinity and have been used in worship and portrayals of their gods and goddesses .The very name of the Hindu worship ritual, puja, can be translated as “the flower act.”

It is an interesting fact in Hinduism that particular flowers are associated with particular deities in Hinduism. For example, in worshiping Siva red china roses are essential; for Vishnu, white flowers ; for Lakshmi lotuses; and so on. It seems clear that seasonal flowers have been selected to be the special varieties to be offered to the deities at their major celebrations. The sanctity of lotuses is clear as it is often mentioned in Hindu scriptures, with one of the earliest mentions being in the Rig Veda. The most common Meta physical analogy is that humans should strive to be like the lotus flower, striving to stand above the mud and be untouched by sin and attachments. The mythological stories suggest that Brahma, the creator, was born of the lotus issuing from the navel of Vishnu. Hindus from early times lotus flower 300x225 Flowers and Religionbelieved that the excessive growth of certain flowers warns of certain misfortune which will befall mankind.

Buddhism:
The main flower that is associated with the Buddhist religion is the lotus which represents spirituality and mental purity and symbolizes the Buddha. It is believed by Buddhists that wherever he stepped, a Lotus flower sprang up. The fact that the lotus flower rises pure from the muddy water and opens to the sun signifies the progress of the soul toward eventual enlightenment.

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