History shows that flowers have been used by humans for thousands of
years, to serve a variety of purposes. An early example of this is from
about 4,500 years ago in Ancient Egypt, where flowers would be used to
decorate women's hair. Flowers have also inspired art time and time
again, such as in Monet's Water Lilies or William Wordsworth's poem
about daffodils entitled: "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud".
In modern times, people have sought ways to cultivate, buy, wear, or
otherwise be around flowers and blooming plants, partly because of their
agreeable appearance and smell. Around the world, people use flowers to
mark important events in their lives.
The flower-giving tradition goes back to prehistoric times when
flowers often had a medicinal and herbal attributes. Archaeologists
found in several grave sites remnants of flower petals. Flowers were
first used as sacrificial and burial objects. Ancient Egyptians and
later Greeks and Romans used flowers. In Egypt, burial objects from the
time around 1540 BC[citation needed] were found, which depicted red
poppy, yellow Araun, cornflower and lilies. Records of flower giving
appear in Chinese writings and Egyptian hieroglyphics, as well as in
Greek and Roman mythology. The practice of giving a flower flourished in
the Middle Ages when couples showed affection through flowers.
The tradition of flower-giving exists in many forms. It is an important
part of slavic culture and folklore. It is common for students to give
flowers to their teachers. To give yellow flowers in a romantic
relationship means break-up. Nowadays, flowers are often given away in
the form of a flower bouquet.