A carnation – in all of its beauty, fragrance and uniqueness – is symbolic of Mother's Day and has come to epitomize a mother's love.
But why carnations, you ask, and not roses, or orchids…or daisies? Because carnations once held important meanings for one important mother.
A Mother's Favourite Flower
White carnations were the favourites of Mrs. Ann M. Jarvis, the mother of Mother's Day trailblazer Miss Anna Jarvis. Mrs. Jarvis favoured white carnations because they “typify some of the virtues of motherhood”. For example, “[its] whiteness stands for purity, its lasting qualities [stands for] faithfulness, its fragrance [stands for]love, its wide field of growth [stands for] charity, and its form [stands for] beauty.”
An Official Mother's Day Flower
White carnations were first presented to mothers on Mother's Day in 1908. During the first official Mother's Day service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church ( Grafton, West Virginia ), 500 white carnations – sent by Miss Jarvis – were distributed amongst the mothers present.
The following year, Miss Jarvis gifted more than 10,000 carnations to the same church on Mother's Day. This eventually leads to the tradition of giving carnations to mothers on Mother's Day. Soon after, children gave red carnations to their mothers and placed white carnations on the graves of their deceased mothers.
Carnations of Today
Today, the rules of gifting carnations on Mother's Day have changed. In these affluent times, mothers are treated to big bouquets, Table Flowers, lavish lunches/dinners and even luxurious spa/massage sessions. Mother's Day has also become a cash cow for the florist industries who deliberately hiku up flower prices nearing this once-sacred occasion. It is no wonder why Miss Jarvis ultimately went on a determined protest against the celebration that she initially created for her own mother, is it?
This petite wordsmith and literary mistress sure dream big: She wishes to place herself alongside the likes of legendary travel writer Paul Edward Theroux and celebrated food writer Alan Eaton Davidson as she unveils only the best of Singapore 's hot zones and sizzling kitchens. For this, Ezaida digs going “off the beaten track” to take her alike-minded audience on a Singaporean road less-traveled.
Her other noble dream is to trek all over Europe on her new and super fast “black-and-pink-with-white-flowers” roller blades. She would, however, settle for a year-long road trip covering all of Asia . She accepts cash donations in ten, fifty and hundred denominations to her “Bring Ezaida Around Asia” fund.
In the meantime, she is contented to be writing for Streetdirectory.com and highlighting Singapore 's happening hangouts.
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