Flowers and their Role in World Religions

 For centuries , flowers have been prized in different cultures worldwide for their beauty, fragrance, flavors and medicinal properties. Over time, certain flowers have been assigned various meanings .

Today we still use flowers with these meanings in mind, to give more significance to important ceremonies, including religious traditions. 

Apart from real-world uses, flowers can also often be found in religious art to add more symbolism and decorative aspects to an image.  

Hinduism 

The main hindu prayer rites are called puja , The Bhagvat Gita (the hindu holy book) instructs the followers to model themselves around the lotus, in order to be pure. Special ceremonies,such as wedding and funerals often feature garlands of flowers, especially jasmine. 

Christianity 

In Christian culture, flowers were once linked with decadence (indulgence in pleasure of luxury)

White flowers such as white lilies and roses are used to stand for purity. 

Red roses stand for love. Church altars are often decorated with bouquets or vases of flowers, especially on Easter and Christmas. Christian bride walk down the aisle with a bouquet of flowers as token of fertility.

Flowers play a large role at Christian funerals and other 

                                                        special personal events.

Buddhism

Similarly to Hinduism, Buddhism also respect the lotus. In this religion, the lotus symbolize the highest level that man can possibly reach in terms of spiritual elevation. 

A lots of Buddhist artwork make use of lotus flowers to represent Buddha.  

Islam

Flowers generally do not feature as heavily in Islamic traditions as compared to other religions.

Roses or Jasmine are sometimes used in marriages or funerals along with various palm leaves. Rose water is also sprinkled on new graves at the end of the ceremony.

Islamic gardens designed for meditation specifically include citrus trees for their pleasant smelling orange blossoms. 

Flowers and leaves from the Heena plant are especially prized for the dark dye is extracted and used to decorate the skin and hair , floral or geometric henna patterns are drawn on the hands and feet of brides before the wedding as a symbol of fertility and good fortune.