Jacqueline Kelly –
The beauty of flowers has been the subject of poetry since time immemorial.
Their fragrance and beauty have inspired poets and artists and have been a source of inspiration for people all over the world.
In all countries and on all occasions, a natural fondness for flowers has been exhibited with tenderness or enthusiasm. They are national emblems; they find a place in heraldic devices [shield or crest on helmets that are a sign of nobility]. Flowers are the gifts and the language of friendship and love. Flowers are used in beauty products and the fragrance of flowers has been captured in many a bottle around the world; the bouquet of flowers has been spreading a feeling of goodwill and cheer and now we know that flower extracts can also be used to bring about a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Flowers have a charm of their own which please all, irrespective of age, sex, and nature. Even when one is in a foulest mood, a bunch of flowers or even a single flower will make the person smile and forget his/her bad mood. They are hung in graceful festoons both in Churches and in ball-rooms. They decorate the altar, the cradle and the bride-bed. Flowers grace festivals and triumphs, processions and cast a glory on gala days and are amongst the last sad honours we pay to our dearly departed.
Flowers are not exclusively for the gifted or the scientific; they are the property of all. The Greeks called flowers the “Festival of the eye”. Flowers not only touch the heart; they also elevate the soul. The fact that flowers can touch the deepest part of your being is known by every sensitive soul.
If stars are the Scriptures of the sky, flowers are the Scriptures of the earth. The Romans of all ranks made use of flowers as ornaments and emblems. We tend upon and cherish flowers with pride.
In the Bible, flowers often symbolize virtues such as love, faith and hope.
Song of Solomon 2:12; Job 14:2; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 103:15-18; Luke 12:27-28. From the purity of the lily to the mourning willow, these flowers remind us of the multifaceted nature of human experience and our relationship with the divine. Flowers serve as reminders of God’s presence and love. In Biblical times, people lived in close connection with nature and understood that flowers held deeper spiritual and moral significance and was considered gifts from God. On festive occasions, people adorned their houses with flowers, and they were used as food, medicine and in creating perfumes and fragrances.
Flowers encourage happy and healthy relationships and help to express feelings in a meaningful way. They have played a significant role in human history and culture as a means of communication. Flowers serve as symbols and play an integral role in religious ceremonies and rituals by beautifying religious rites and help in gaining insight into the values and beliefs that shape cultures around the globe. Flowers hold a symbolic significance during Lent, a period of reflection and preparation for Easter.
The Passion Flower
The word “Passion” is derived from the Latin word “Passio” for suffering. Around 1700, the name “Passiflora” was given by Spanish and Portuguese Jesuits who saw it as a gift of God to help them in their work of teaching the natives in South America to understand the Passion of Christ and the Crucifixion. Its earlier name was “La Flor de las Cinco Llagas” or “The Flower of the Five Wounds” of the Crucifixion of Christ.
The Jesuits brought it back with them to Spain and later, the fruit found its way to other parts of Europe in the 16th century. Passion Flowers have held a special fascination for their bold and beautiful blossoms and delicious passion fruits. Most are perennial climbers, but some are trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants or even annuals and all lend a tropical flavour to any situation.
The Passion flower is also known as “Passiflora Incarnata”, one of Florida’s most beautiful and intricate flowers. There are over 550 wild species revealing a wide variation of colour, size and form from the many American species, to the green and blue Passion flower of Britain, the purple Granadilla of Africa and the yellow Passion flower of Australia. The genus which contains vines, climbers, shrubs and trees is predominantly distributed throughout Mexico, Central and South America with a few species restricted to South East Asia and the Pacific.
The Passion flower or Fleur de la Passion is a striking royal purple, intensely fragrant, medium sized flower composed of two rings of numerous filaments banded with white towards the rose pink centre- the three prominent styles and five anthers arise from the centre on a short stamina column-borne singly or in pairs from the leaf axils. It is a robust perennial vine with deeply cut three-lobed leaves and dense hairy stems.
The Passion flower “Passionis” refers to Christ’s suffering and the genus therefore has a particular reference at Easter. Spanish Christian Missionaries in South America, known at that time as the “New Spain” adopted the unique structure of the plant as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially His Crucifixion because of its peculiar flowers. “Passiflora Lobata” was not originally classified as a Passion Flower and was first described as “Tetrastylis Lobata”.
Passiflora Lobata flower is a vine up to 10m long, with three-lobed leaves and distinct extra floral nectaries at the lower half of their flower stalks. It grows in moist to wet tropical to lower mountain forests from South Eastern Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to Northern Columbia.
“Passiflora Phoenicea” is a radically symmetric flower with five sepals and five petals both coloured red, a ring of radical filaments [corona], five stamens and an ovary composed of three carpels. Each flower is up to three inches across. The leaves are dark green and deeply lobed. The fruit is egg-shaped, up to two inches long, yellow when ripe and is edible, having a sweet pulp similar to citrus. The roots and leaves of the Passion flower were used by the South American Indians to make tea.
The different parts of the Passion flower symbolize the following:-
The Ten Petals represent the Ten Apostles who forsook the Lord and fled. Excluded from this group is Peter who denied Jesus three times, and Judas, the betrayer. John followed Jesus right to Golgotha and stood at the foot of the Cross.
The Three Stigmas at the top, each with a roughly rounded head [the part of the flower that receives the pollen and rises out of the top centre of the passion flower] as attached to their styles [tiny little stems] are interpreted as the three nails which were used to pierce and fasten Jesus to the Cross. They also represent Christ and the two thieves on the Crosses.
The Five Stamens that hold the anthers [pads of pollen] together signify the five sacred wounds Jesus received during His crucifixion [four from the nails and one from the lance].
The Anthers alone represent the sponge used to moisten Jesus’ lips.
The Corona or Fringe within the flower is symbolic of the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus. The rays of the fringe within the flower form a nimbus, representing the Lord’s Divine Glory. The 72 radial filaments are also said to represent the number of lashes Jesus received throughout His Passion.
The pointed tips of the Leaves shaped like a lance are associated with the spear that pierced the Heart of Christ.
The Red Stain on the Corona at the base of the central column and the red speckling on the style holding the stigma is a reminder of the Blood Jesus shed.
The Passion Fruit represents the sinful world that Jesus came to save by the supreme sacrifice of His life.
The Holy Trinity is portrayed by the three secondary calyx leaf bracts.
The Central Pillar of the Flower represents the column to which Christ was bound and brutally flogged and the many slender tendrils surrounding its base, which help the vine to climb, are linked to the cords and whips used in the scourging of Christ.
The Tendrils also symbolize Jesus holding firmly to His purpose, supported by God’s love.
The Fragrance of the Flower is said to represent the spices that the Holy women brought with them on the day of the Resurrection.
The Ovary is shaped like the hammer used to drive the nails.
The Blue and White colours of the Passion flower species are associated with Heaven and Purity.
The Purple colour represents the Liturgical colour of Lent.
The Vine represents God’s attachment to the Earth.
The fact that the flower blooms for three days is seen as symbolizing the three years of Jesus’ Ministry and also the length of time, our Lord’s body lay in the tomb.
The Passion Flower is featured in Christian art. It is an amazing plant and used as a teaching tool for religious practices.
