HOME | Christmas | Wedding | Anniversary | Baby Gifts | Birthday | Bar/Bat Mitzvah | Pets |
| Gifts for HIM | Gifts for HER |
Gifts Under $20 Last Minute Gifts!
Hottest Selling Items! How to Generate More Income
| January Birthday Gift Ideas |
About Carnations!

The Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is a flowering plant
native to the Near East and has been cultivated for the last 2,000 years. Its
original natural flower colour was pinkish-hued, but later, cultivars of other
colours, including red, white, yellow and greenish, have been developed.
Although originally applied to the species Dianthus caryophyllus, the name
Carnation is also often applied to some of the other species of Dianthus, and
more particularly to garden hybrids between D. caryophyllus and other species in
the genus.
Some scholars believe that the name "carnation" comes from "coronation" or "corone"
(flower garlands), as it was one of the flowers used in Greek ceremonial crowns.
Others think the name stems from the Greek carnis (flesh), which refers to the
original color of the flower, or incarnacyon (incarnation), which refers to the
incarnation of God made flesh.
Sentiment and symbolism
Carnations are often worn on special occasions,
especially Mother's Day and weddings. They were known as "Jove's Flower" in
ancient Rome as a tribute to one of their beloved gods. In Korea, a young girl
places three carnations in her hair to tell her fortune. If the top flower dies
first, her last years of life will be difficult; if it is the middle flower, her
earlier years will bring the most grief. Worst of all, if the bottom flower dies
first, the poor girl will be miserable her whole life.
The carnation is also the symbol of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution.
For the most part, carnations express love, fascination, and distinction. Light
red carnations represent admiration, while dark red denote deep love and
affection. White carnations indicate pure love and good luck; striped symbolize
a regret that a love cannot be shared. Green carnations are for St. Patrick's
Day; purple carnations indicate capriciousness.
Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to
Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross.
The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where
her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's undying
love, and in 1907 was chosen by Ann Jarvis as the emblem of Mother's Day, now
observed in the United States and Canada on the second Sunday in May. A red
carnation may be worn if one's mother is alive, and a white one if she has died.
The source of this article is
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this
article is licensed under the
GFDL
Post nasal drip, lose weight, diabetes, Alzheimer's, more
how to clean athletic shoes, get rid of roaches
Guides for Better LivingHow to Cope with Life's Problems