FLOWER OF THE MONTH December: NARCISSUS
December is one month that brings with it a lot of good cheer, celebrations, vacations, delicious food and of course the amazingly cold weather. This month, just like all the other months, also brings in a lot of birthdays and anniversaries of our loved ones. What better way of wishing your lovelies on their special day than with some nice flowers? How about presenting your dearieswith pretty Narcissus that happens to be the birth month flower of December?
Also known as the daffodil, Narcissus is a bulbous plant that has tall linear leaves and pretty blooms in bright colours. It has a trumpet shaped corona surrounded by a ring of petals. It is a poisonous flower and hence no parts of it should be ingested.
This hardy flower derives its name from Greek mythology of Narcissus, a young attractive hunter. His beauty was too much for him to handle and so he fell in love with his own reflection in a stream. Seeing his transfixion, gods turned him into a flower to stay by the stream forever or else he would have died of starvation. The term ‘Narcissism’ also comes from this mythology only.
SYMBOLISM, SIGNIFICANCE AND MEANING
This flower has various meanings attached to it like sweetness, self-admiration, respect, faithfulness and modesty. Narcissus is considered a symbol of wealth and good fortune in the east and a symbol of vanity in the west. The hidden message connected to this flower is “You’re the only one” and it is believed that in Victorian era the lovers used Narcissus to convey their hidden romantic feelings for their loved ones.
COLOURS NARCISSUS IS FOUND IN
Narcissus could be found in white, yellow and sometimes orange or pink colours. One could see these large bright blooms with either uniform coloured or contrasting coloured tepals and corona.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NARCISSUS
A Greek myth states that Persephone, the daughter of Zeus, was led to her death by God Hades while picking a Narcissus flower. Contrary to the fact that the Greek mythology hints that this flower was symbolic with death and loss, it has been adopted by Cancer societies around the world as a symbol of hope.
As per an ancient Chinese legend, as a result of the Narcissus flower a poor man with a good heart was blessed with wealth and gold. Henceforth this flower became symbolic of the Chinese New Year.
Narcissus is the most popular flower in Germany. It is also the national flower of the Kurdish culture and symbolizes New Year for the Kurds, an ethnic group of the Middle East.
In traditional Japanese medicines, a paste made with Narcissus flowers and wheat flour was used to treat wounds.
In Persian literature this flower is considered a symbol of beautiful eyes.
It should be noted that all the species of this flower are poisonous and hence should not be consumed. The bulbs of this flower are quite likely to be confused with onions and so one needs to be careful while identifying them in order to avoid accidental poisonings.
Appropriate to be included in wedding bouquets or to be given away to celebrate the birth of a new born baby, Narcissus are associated with the high spirits of holidays. Thus these flowers make for a perfect tribute for December birthdays too.Narcissus is symbolic of fun, cheer and hence is a great way of sending off the year.
