The national flower of Afghanistan is Tulips. The tulips grow at the beginning of summer to produce its flowers in the shape of cuts of all colors, and play an important role in the flower gardens of many houses. It has provoked the frenzy and obsession of historic gardeners. Whether you have fallen in love with national flower of Afghanistan Tulips after strolling through the thousands of acres of the Netherlands or visiting the local florist, you can learn more about the history of the third most popular flower of the world and what it symbolized throughout the ages.
National Flower of Afghanistan Significance
It may not be the most chic flower in the garden but the beauty and grace of simple tulips made the flower become a symbol for these different concepts:
- Perfect and long-lasting love between partners or family members
- Love infinite and passionate, that passion is rejected or shared
- Royalty and royal nature
- Love forgotten or neglected
- 11th wedding anniversary
- Abundance, Prosperity and Indulgence
- Charity and help for the most unfortunate
- Etymological meaning of the tulips
The name tulips is short and direct, but it carries a long and complicated history. In general, etymologists think that it comes from the Persian word for turban, disband. However, it is rather a bad translation than a real bond, since the Persian citizens liked to wear tulips in their turbans and the writings of the Ottoman Empire on this flower were translated into Turkish, Latin and French before we get to the name we use today. All common tulips belong to the genus tulips, but some varieties are called neo-tulips because they have remained wild for many generations and have therefore developed different characteristics.
The tulips are a classic flower of love, although it was more regarded as a symbol of charity by the Victorians. The Turkish people who were the first to cultivate the flower considered it a symbol of paradise on earth and introduced it into many religious and secular poems and works of art. While the Ottoman Empire was planting the bulbs to recall the sky and eternal life, the Dutch, who popularized the flower, considered it a reminder of the brevity of life. The bond with love and passion developed rather in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but this in no way diminishes the strength of the symbolism of this flower.
Do you know Golden Eagle is National Bird of Afghanistan ?
About the Tulips
All the tulips have at the base a cup shape which shows the side of the petals. A center of dark or light color contrasts with the petals and can symbolize a broken heart or a light heart. The flower has been cultivated since the thirteenth century, but it really took off in the 1600s when the Turkish traders introduced it to the Dutch. Tulips madness in the 17th century reached such a level that the bulbs were traded as a coin and that the theft of the flowers gave rise to severe penalties. Today, bulbs are sold in supermarkets and DIY stores for a few small bucks.
Meaning of the Tulips
Unlike other flowers, the meaning of the tulips varies enormously depending on its color. For example:
Yellow is the color of unrequited or rejected love. Sending yellow tulips to someone means you love it but you know it does not like you in return.
Bright red is the color of passion and perfect love. Do not send a bouquet of these flowers to a member of your family because you would send the wrong message!
Purple is linked to royalty, but also to abundance and prosperity.
The pink represents a less intense affection and love, and is therefore more suitable for friends or family.
Significant botanical characteristics of the Tulips
As members of the lily family, tulips are edible but not particularly medicinal. There has not been much research on the potential medicinal value of the humble tulips, even in the middle Ages. These flowers were held in such high esteem by the Dutch in the 1600s that they were used as emergency food rations during the Second World War because their bulb rich in starch contains a surprising amount of calories. The petals are also edible, and give dishes based on stuffed tulips flowers.
