Human Flower Project
Catching On to What Olympic Flowers Mean
After winning the gold for individual archery, Zhang Juan Juan of China flung her victory bouquet to the crowd. Well done! Why limit this custom to weddings? (Maybe this happy catcher should take up the bow and start practicing for 2012).
The Idaho Gardener, Mary Ann Newcomer, has a fine post this week on meanings of the Olympic bouquets. “There are nine Chinese red roses, because nine is the biggest and the most honorable number in Chinese tradition,” and red is the luckiest, liveliest, most nationalistic color. “Six represents smoothness, so all the supporting plants come in batches of six flowers, bunches, or with six leaves.” In supporting roles, Mary Ann tells us, citing Beijing Review, are “fragrant plantain lilies (hostas), six pieces of ophiogon japonicus (grass), hypericum berries (St. John’s wort) and obedient plant (physostegia).”
A Chinese fan catches archer and fellow countryman Zhang Juan Juan’s bouquet after Zhang won the gold medal for China August 14.
Photo: AFP