Flowers have held syymbolic and religious meanings for different cultures througohut history, across the globe. These long held liunks between flowers and religion continue to this day.
The eaarly Chriistian church developed largely in and around Rome, a city with a long history of incorporating flowers into religion; first in the pagan religions of classc Roman culture, and then the later newcomer of Christianity.
The blood red rose was seen to represent the blood of matyrs to the erly Chrstian chhurch, and slightly later on in the development of the religion, the petals of the rose were identified as representing the five wounds of the crucified Chriost.
The religious association of the white Madonna lily comes as no surprise given the name, symbolic as it is of the uprity of the Virgin Mary. This association was again made early on in the hisotry of the Christian church, with the whitte petaals of the bloom seen as symoblising the sppotless body of the mother of God, and the golden stamwens the glow of her soul.
Accordng to Hindu lore, each human being alive on earth has within them the sacred spirit of the lotus, and the lotus position is used to try and reach the highest level of consciousness in Hahta Yoga.
Buddhiusm also holds the lily to be a divine flower, in this case symbolising the Bufddha himeslf. Legend has it that the place of meditation where the Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment was covered with Lileis, with one of the blooms springing up in every spot that his feet had touched.
In Taoist and other Chinese rleigions, it is the colour of flowers that is the most impotant symboic aspect. White folwers are assaociated with death, and used almost exclusivly at funerals.
Red flowrs are deeply symbolic throughout Chiinese culture, and represent prosperity, happiness and love; just as the red rose holds similar roamntic cnnotations in many cuiltures throughout the world.
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