Holiday Flower Arranging

Every holiday in every part of the world can be celebrated with fresh holiday flowers.  Many holidays have long-standing traditions that revolve around the flower. Giving flowers on holidays and special occasions has become a custom that keep florists in business throughout the year.

Christmas and Hanukkah are the number one floral buying holidays.

Christmas holiday flowers include the evergreen, holly, ivy, mistletoe and the poinsettia, each of which has its own special meaning to the Christmas holiday. The mistletoe is an important holiday flower because of the tradition associated with it: kissing under mistletoe results in good luck. Poinsettias are popular and classic Christmas holiday flowers which, contrary to popular belief, are not poisonous to pets or children.

Hanukah holiday flower arranging involves using flowers in blue and white shades; the colors of the Israeli flag.

The Valentine’s Day holiday is associated with gift and flower giving.  This holiday lands on February 14 every year and was named after the Christian martyr St. Valentine. According to legend, the holiday flower connected with Valentines Day is the crocus, but red roses are the most popular flower given on this day. These holiday flowers have long been a symbol of love and are synonymous with the holiday.

In California, an American New Year's Day tradition happens every January 1^st, the Tournament of Roses parade. It is said that a single float requires more fresh flowers than an average florist will use in five years. Thai people celebrate New Year's Day with holiday flowers as well. Most people wear pomelai, which is Thai for flower-bead necklaces or garlands, to celebrate this holiday.

The clover is symbolic with St. Patrick's Day, which is a national holiday in Ireland . St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland who is said to have used the three-leaved shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity.

In the northern part of the world, Easter is a spring holiday. It is associated with life and rebirth, whether it is the Christian belief in resurrection or the pagan belief in rebirth of nature. The Easter Lily is the most popular Easter holiday flower in America; it is one of the most popular potted plants in the U.S.  Another holiday flower closely associated with Easter is the pasque flower, which blooms in the spring. It comes from the French word meaning Easter.

Mother's Day is a popular time to give holiday flowers. The pink carnation became the emblem of Mother's Day in 1907 because it is considered to be the symbol of motherly love. Many people in the United States follow the custom of wearing a carnation on Mother's Day; a colored carnation indicates a person's mother is living while a white carnation means a person's mother is dead.

In pagan ceremonies, May day is a time to celebrate the height of spring and the coming of summer. As a tradition, couples used to go a-Maying, which meant decorating tree branches with floral garlands and holiday flowers. This holiday is known as Lei Day in Hawaii, where everyone wears holiday flowers around their necks to celebrate this day. Contests are even held to judge the most beautiful lei.

Not every holiday is associated with holiday flowers, but that doesn't mean decorating with festive flowers isn't possible. Thanksgiving is a holiday meant to celebrate the first harvest. It is celebrated in October in Canada and in November in the U.S. Gathering fallen leaves or berries from a park or even a backyard is a festive way to decorate for the holiday. A cornucopia filled with fall vegetables and foliage makes for a great Thanksgiving decoration as well. Decorating for Halloween can be just as creative. Making a bouquet using orange flowers and black and white roses makes for an interesting display.