Flower delivery taboos in different countries
As we all get better and better, sending gifts with flowers has become a common scene in life, whether it is for holiday celebrations, birthday congratulations, or to greet guests or visit the sick. However, as we all know, different flowers have different floral languages and are given their own different meanings, and the scenarios to which they are applied are different. We would send carnations on Mother’s Day and roses on Valentine’s Day, is a practical application of the symbolism of flowers.
Within a country, it is not easy to make mistakes in sending flowers as we all share the same cultural background. However, in different cultures we have to be aware of the flower delivery etiquette in each country. If you want to complete a satisfying China flower delivery, you need to understand the taboos of Chinese flower delivery.
In China, white chrysanthemums are used to signify a tribute and people do not send white chrysanthemums to others on a happy occasion. Other colours of chrysanthemums are also not favoured by the Chinese. However, in other countries, because of the different living habits, religious beliefs and cultural traditions, the “view” of flowers can be different. The same flowers can have completely different connotations in different countries, and if you do not know the language and flower delivery customs of other cultures, you may send the wrong flowers, express the wrong meaning and upset people.
In this article, we are going to give you a list of flower delivery customs and taboos in other countries around the world to avoid any misunderstandings.
Let’s start with Japan. It is a member of the same East Asian cultural circle as China, and many of the Japanese flower delivery customs are similar to those of China, but with slight differences. For example, the number “4” is taboo in Japan because it is pronounced similarly to “death”, something that many Chinese have a similar taboo about. However, the Chinese like “6” and “9”, but the Japanese do not like them because they sound similar to “scoundrel” and “toil”. They are pronounced similarly to the words “rascal” and “toil” and are considered to be as unlucky as the “4”. As for the aforementioned chrysanthemum, although the Chinese also appreciate its purity and see the yellow chrysanthemum as a symbol of old age and longevity, they are still rather squeamish about the white chrysanthemum, but in Japan there is no such taboo and the white chrysanthemum is also a symbol of chastity and honesty.
In India, the lotus flower is used as a ritual flower, so it is taboo to give it as a gift. Europe has a very long tradition of flower giving and they have accumulated a strong culture of flower giving, which has given rise to many flower giving customs.
In terms of quantity, unlike the Chinese, who like to send flowers in even numbers, in Europe it is traditional to send flowers in odd numbers, with the exception of the number 13, of course.
Like the Japanese, Europeans avoid the number 6, considering it to be the number of the devil, but also because of their religious traditions, they prefer the number 7.
In terms of colour, in the Chinese tradition, red flowers represent enthusiasm and good luck, and people are very fond of bright red flowers, such as red peonies, but the British are not very fond of red or white flowers. When you are looking for China gift delivery, sammygift is a good choice.
In addition, yellow flowers such as chrysanthemums, which are highly sought after in East Asian cultures, are not as pleasing in European cultures, where some European people would feel that yellow implies a break in friendship or disloyalty.
In Russia, yellow flowers can only be given to the sick or at funerals as a sign of sympathy and condolence.