For example, roses symbolize "farewell." I investigated why yellow flowers have negative meanings in their language of flowers.

2019.10.01 published

Yellow Flowers, Contrary to Their Bright Impression...

Yellow flowers are those that can uplift your spirit and give you energy just by looking at them♩

Being the brightest color among the chromatic colors, they naturally evoke images of the sun and sunflowers. Psychologically, yellow has positive effects such as "brightening one's mood" and "enhancing concentration."

But!

Many yellow flowers, contrary to that bright impression, have negative meanings and unpleasant flower language...

For example?

✓ The flower language of yellow carnations is contempt and jealousy.

✓ The flower language of yellow tulips is love without hope.

✓ The flower language of yellow roses is jealousy, fading love, farewell, and lack of sincerity.

✓ The flower language of sunflowers is false love and phony riches.

✓ The flower language of marigolds is despair, sorrow, and jealousy.

✓ The flower language of yellow lilies is deceit (also meaning cheerfulness).

✓ The flower language of yellow chrysanthemums is neglected affection, disappointment, melancholy, and hardship.

✓ The flower language of yellow daffodils is wishing to be loved again and wanting to return to me.

And so on...

While some flowers hold both good and bad meanings, yellow flowers stand out for having negative meanings unlike other colors.

But why do yellow flowers all have such flower languages...?

Is there some origin to this?

In the West, yellow has historically had a negative image.

There are various theories about flower language, but it is believed to have originated around the 17th century in Turkey.

In Turkey, there was a custom of "expressing feelings through flowers and giving them to lovers," which spread to neighboring Europe, leading to the popularity of flower language practices in Western society in the 19th century.

Flower languages were often assigned meanings based on the appearance, fragrance, or image of the flowers, but...

In the West, yellow itself has historically been associated with "betrayal, jealousy, exclusion, and corruption."

There isn't a clear reason for this, but...

It is said that an image of betrayal became strongly ingrained due to Judas, the traitor of Jesus Christ (who delivered him to Roman officials for 30 silver coins), being depicted wearing yellow clothes in artworks like The Last Supper and Judas' Kiss.

Other factors include the fact that ancient prostitutes wore yellow clothing and that in Spain, people were punished by being made to wear yellow clothes.

Additionally, in Christianity, yellow is seldom used in the vestments of clergy or during liturgical ceremonies, which could have contributed to its image as an unhonorable color.

Conclusion: Linked to the Religious, Historical, and Social Contexts of Europe.

Yellow flowers possess negative flower languages.

This stems from the negative image that yellow has acquired due to the religious, historical, and social contexts of Europe.

In modern Japan, there may be few people who care about such flower languages (many may not even know about them),

but when giving a bouquet as a gift or wanting to use auspicious flowers in a wedding, it would be wise to look up the flower languages of yellow flowers.