Carnations are one of the oldest flowers in the world. They are found in ancient legends and even in the Bible. The flower in nature is found only in pink-apricot, but the color range of modern carnations is very wide, from white to red, green-purple, and even with stripes.

What does a carnation symbolize?

The meaning of the flower is very directly related to color. The pink ones speak of tenderness, the red ones speak of courage, the green ones speak of freshness and youth, the purple ones speak of luxury.

The scientific name of the carnations is "Dianthus", from the Latin "Dios" which means God, and "Antos" which means flower roots. Literally, it means "divine flower".

There are two theories of the origin of the name of the flower.

Some believe that the name came from the ancient Romans, who often used these flowers during their religious ceremonies, decorating the sayings of the statues with them. 

Others believe that the flower got its name from the Latin "corpus", which means body because the first carnations were the color of the body. Some people even think that the name came from the Latin word “incarnation” - the incarnation of God.

Carnations in different cultures 

According to ancient Roman legend, the flower originated after the crucifixion of Christ, when St. Mary wept over the loss of her son, tears were feeling to the ground.

Korean culture

Koreans use cloves to predict the future of young girls. Three freshly cut flowers are placed in the hair, and the young girl has to decide which one will fade first. If the first flower withered, then the last years of the girl's life will be full of fights. If in the middle, then at a young age she will have disagreements in her life. And if the flower will fade at the end, then the whole life of a young girl will be full of complications.

Chinese culture

In China, carnations are being used for decorating weddings. It is the most popular flower in Chinese weddings.

Japanese weddings 

In Japan, carnations are symbolizing love and are very popular on Mother’s Day.

As you can see, the meaning of flowers varies depending on the culture. Follow our blog to get acquainted with the meanings of other flowers.