It’s the month of May once again where we celebrate all mothers. Mother Mary is our first mother as she was exemplified for her humility to the message of God. Mother Mary, Mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is known for her deep meekness, blind obedience, ardent love, heroic patience, and angelic kindness.
Flowers have always been associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary. The faithful saw Mary’s attributes in the herbs and flowers growing around them and named many plants after her. Legends about the flowers developed as people sought to connect them with events from Mary’s life. There is even an early tradition that states when the apostles went to open Mary’s tomb, they found it filled with the most fragrant flowers, confirming that Jesus took her to Heaven after she died.
Mary was associated with this passage from the Song of Solomon: “I am the Rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” (2:1). Roses and lilies became Mary’s flowers. A legend from the second century says that when Mary’s tomb was opened to show Thomas that her body had been assumed into Heaven, it was filled with these flowers.
The lily symbolises purity, innocence, and virginity. The rose is sometimes used to represent heavenly joy when worn as a crown by saints, while its thorns often point to original sin.
Another flower associated with Mother Mary is the marigold. The marigold was called Mary’s Gold by early Christians who placed the flowers around statues of Mary, offering the blossoms in place of coins.
Lavender (known as Mary’s Drying Plant) and daisies are two more flowers that have been associated with Mother Mary throughout her life.
The carnation is particularly symbolic of Mother’s Day. Its importance as a Mother’s Day symbol is derived from Anna Jarvis, who is believed to have sent white carnations for a Mother’s Day service in West Virginia, in the United States, on May 10, 1908.
Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus), also called ‘grenadine’ or ‘clove pink’ are the herbaceous plant of the pink, or carnation, family (Caryophyllaceae), native to the Mediterranean area. It is widely cultivated for its fringe-petalled flowers, which often have a spicy fragrance, and is used extensively in the floral industry.
I would like to wish my Mother a Happy Mother’s Day in advance. Words will never describe how much peace and happiness you bring to my life daily. To all the moms, you are the rock of support and your family’s jewel. I hope you have a wonderful day and know how much you are loved! Happy Mother’s Day!
Send questions to rayannaboodram@hotmail.com.