Human Flower Project
Orrington, MAINE USA
Murrieta, CALIFORNIA USA
Princeton, MAINE USA
Friday, March 27, 2009
Blooms for the Pope in Angola
Floral gifts for honored guests need not always be corsages or bouquets.
A young admirer holds out a floral welcome to the Pope
Luanda, Angola, March 21, 2009.
Photo: Reuters
Greeting foreign dignitaries with flowers is a custom in many parts of the world, both honorific and disarming. A floral welcome strikes a magic balance by confronting power with simple delicacy.
With local variations, the gesture takes on cultural significance, depth, as with these floral greetings for Pope Benedict XVI in Angola.
A bold, smiling girl stuck a dramatic red blossom (proteas?) under the pontiff’s nose last Saturday, March 21, before the Pope addressed a youth gathering in Luanda. Can you imagine this in the Netherlands or Polynesia?