In Christian tradition, the Easter lily signifies rebirth and a new beginning. It is said that beautiful white lilies sprang up in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus wept in the last hours before he was betrayed by Judas. Easter lilies
Lilium longiflorum
Lilium longiflorum, often called the Easter lily, is a plant endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands. Lilium formosana, a closely related species from Taiwan, has been treated as a variety of Easter lily in the past. It is a stem rooting lily, growing up to 1 m high. It bears a number of trumpet shaped, whi…
How did lilies come to be Easter lilies?
How did lilies come to be Easter lilies? The Easter lily is a relatively new tradition - first brought to the United States in 1882 from Bermuda. The large, pure-white blossoms remind Christians of the pure, new life that comes through the Resurrection of Jesus.
Why are Easter lilies the national flower of America?
Also known as Bermuda lilies, or Lilim longiflorum to the horticultural crowd, Easter lilies became the go-to flower for the spring holiday on American shores in the 20th century. Yet the lily’s ties to Christianity were established long before.
What does an Easter Lily look like?
Easter lilies are a specific type of lily called lilum longiflorum. They have a central stalk, with dark green leaves coming off of it. The trumpet shaped lily flowers open at the top of the stalk. Easter lilies can have as few as one flower, and as many as ten to fifteen flowers in well established plants.
Do Easter lilies need fertilizer?
If you don’t have rich soil, it can be beneficial to do another fertilizer application in the summer. There are several varieties of the Easter lily: L. longiflorum 'White Heaven' is a classic pure white Easter lily that grows 2 to 3 feet high with 7-inch-long flowers.
What is the history of the Easter lily?
Referred to as "white-robed apostles of hope," lilies are believed to have sprouted from the ground where Christ's blood and tears fell during crucifixion, as well as in the Garden of Gethsemane after his betrayal. It's also said they grew in the Garden of Eden from Eve's anguished tears.
What does the Bible say about the Easter lily?
Jesus even references the flower in Luke 12:27, stating “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Legend has it that, after Jesus' death and resurrection, lilies were found growing in the Garden of ...
What did Jesus say about the lilies?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: The World English Bible translates the passage as: Why are you anxious about clothing?
Why do Easter lilies cry?
Tradition has it that when Eve left the Garden of Eden she shed real tears of repentance. After that, from those remorseful tears sprung up lilies. So, the spiritual principle is that true repentance is the beginning of beauty. A mark of purity and grace throughout the ages.
What does the lily symbolize in the Bible?
Thus, lilies represent rebirth and hope, just as the resurrection does in the Christian faith. Lilies are also mentioned or alluded to several times in the Bible. Some think that it was white lilies that sprouted in the Garden of Eden as Eve's remorseful tears fell to the ground.
What does a lily mean in the Bible?
It signifies purity and innocence. Although it isn't derived directly from the Bible, it does have Biblical connections: lilies are often used to represent the Virgin Mary's purity, and St. Joseph is frequently pictured holding lilies to represent his relationship with Jesus' mother.
What is the spiritual meaning of a lily?
Lily flower meanings include beauty, purity, fertility, transformation, rebirth, and devotion.
What does the Easter Bunny have to do with Jesus?
In short: The Easter Bunny is not related to Jesus at all. At most, they're both obviously tied to the holiday celebrating the resurrection, and they're both considered symbols of new life—but the links to one another, essentially, end there.
Where did the Easter Lily come from?
FLOWER HISTORY IN UNITED STATES. Another interesting fact is that the Easter lily came to the United States from Japan. Just like our cherry blossoms. Following World War I, a soldier named Louis Houghton brought a suitcase of lily bulbs from Japan back to the U.S., specifically to his home state of Oregon. Houghton gave the lily bulbs ...
What does the trumpet shape of the Easter lily symbolize?
The trumpet shape of the Easter lily also fit into the image of a trumpet sounding the message that Jesus had risen and thus loss becomes a form of rebirth too. Others noted that since lilies start as ugly bulbs that live underground for at least three years and then bloom into these fragrant flowers, this is a metaphor for transformation.
Why do we have white lilies?
Known as the “white-robed apostles of hope,” fragrant white lilies were believed to symbolize the purity of Christ. Turns out that in art dating back to the 14th century, the Archangel Gabriel is often depicted giving the Virgin Mary a lily when telling her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why do people use lilies in funerals?
Thus the flower became associated with rebirth as well as a symbol of loss which is why the lily is used in funerals to connect the departed to God. So we have ancient artists like Leonardo da Vinci to thank for this becoming part of our current traditions.
How to keep bulbs happy in winter?
Keep the soil moist during winter so the bulbs are happy.
What does the yellow flower represent?
But it was yellow until the day that the Virgin Mary stooped to pick it, thus symbolizing the role of the New Eve in restoring to the world the innocence lost by Eve.”. We particularly appreciate how this flower represents women as well as Christ.
Where did Houghton get his lily bulbs?
Houghton gave the lily bulbs to his horticultural friends, and soon enough, the area along the California-Oregon border, which happened to have prime growing conditions for the flowers, became known as the Easter Lily Capital of the World.
What does the Easter lily symbolize?
There are several theories about Christian symbolism surrounding the Easter lily. Often referred to as "white-robed apostles of hope," their color symbolizes the purity of Christ, who was free from sin. In many paintings, the angel Gabriel is depicted as handing Mary white lilies, which symbolizes her purity as well. The trumpet shape of the Easter lily represents a trumpet sounding the message that Jesus has risen, and the nature in which lilies grow is symbolic of the resurrection as well. From ugly bulbs that are underground for three years or longer, they become beautiful flowers. This process is reminiscent of Jesus's brutal death and holy resurrection. Thus, lilies represent rebirth and hope, just as the resurrection does in the Christian faith.
Where do Easter lilies come from?
Easter lilies are native to a few islands south of Japan. They were brought to England in 1777 and later Bermuda, where they were produced on a large scale and earned their first nickname, the Bermuda lily. After a virus wiped them from Bermuda, Japan was once again the only source of Easter lilies.
Where did Louis Houghton bring his lily bulbs?
Following World War I, solider Louis Houghton brought a suitcase of lily bulbs from Japan back to the U.S., specifically to his home state of Oregon. Houghton gave the lily bulbs to his horticultural friends, and soon enough, the area along the California-Oregon border, which happened to have prime growing conditions for the flowers, became known as the Easter Lily Capital of the World. After Pearl Harbor, Japanese shipment of Easter lilies was cut off, which brought high demand to the Oregon and California growers, giving the flowers yet another nickname—White Gold.
Where are lilies in the Bible?
There are also theories that Easter lilies grew where Jesus's tears and blood fell from the cross, and lilies were supposedly found in the Garden of Gethsemane after the crucifixion, tying them even closer to the Easter holiday.
Can you pick up an Easter lily?
Whether you're picking up an Easter lily to gift, decorate, or just admire, you can appreciate the arduous passage it took to you and keep it growing for years.
Where are Easter lilies from?
Much as the lily’s significance has traveled through time and traditions, Easter lily bulbs have traversed the globe. Native to the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan, ...
What do lilies represent?
Legend has it that lilies also grew tall in the Garden of Gethsemane from the Agony of Christ. They’re viewed as symbols of purity and rebirth. In ancient Egypt, water lilies represented creation and regeneration, innocence and modesty.
How many growers produce Easter Lily bulbs?
The industry has become more concentrated over the years, with just four commercial growers now producing all of the Easter Lily Capital’s bulbs. Their efforts not only account for the Easter lilies circulated around North America but are also commonly cited as representing 95 percent of the entire potted Easter lily market.
What county is the Easter Lily Capital of the World?
Today, a slim, coastal stretch between the Harbor-Brookings and Smith River areas of Oregon’s Curry County and California’s Del Norte County, respectively, has come to be known as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World.”. A wooden sign erected near the Smith River city limits announces as much to anyone passing through.
What was the name of the crop that was a result of the Pearl Harbor event?
It became known as “white gold” on the West Coast.
Why are flowers regulated for Easter?
To ensure the flowers are ready in time for the holiday, their environments are strictly monitored. Temperature, moisture, and light are constantly regulated to ensure optimal growing conditions.
Where did the lily come from?
Thunberg brought the lily to England, from where it later reached Bermuda in the mid-1800s. Commercial production took off in Bermuda. By the turn of the century, the island nation was responsible ...
What is an Easter lily?
Back to Top. The Easter lily ( Lilium longiflorum) or trumpet lily is a perennial bulb with large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers that have a wonderful fragrance. The plant’s thick, rigid stem grows upright and is covered in narrow, dark green leaves that are around 6 inches long. Like many bulbs, the Easter lily emerges ...
Why is the Easter lily called Easter Lily?
This plant commonly adopted the name "Easter lily" due to its role as a traditional Easter-time symbol. And while the lily generally blooms in the summer, growers have cultivated the plant to force it to bloom a little earlier to coincide with springtime Christian holiday.
What causes Easter lilies to die?
The Easter lily is susceptible to some pests or diseases. Occasionally a plant might have an aphid in festation, which can cause degraded foliage. Bring the infestation under control by hosing off the aphids with strong water blasts or by using insecticidal soap. Moreover, the plants are susceptible to the lily mosaic virus, which is spread via aphids and causes leaf discoloration and degradation. There is no cure for this disease, so affected plants must be dug up and destroyed before it spreads. There are also several types of bulb rot that can affect Easter lilies, along with botrytis blight and leaf scorch, and stem rot. To prevent these conditions, check your Easter lilies daily and perform remediations immediately.
How big do Easter lilies get?
There are several varieties of the Easter lily: L. longiflorum 'White Heaven' is a classic pure white Easter lily that grows 2 to 3 feet high with 7-inch-long flowers. L. longiflorum 'Nellie White' is the cultivar normally grown and sold by commercial growers for the Easter lily trade.
How hot does it have to be for Easter lilies to bloom?
Easter lilies grow and flower best in mild temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit with nighttime temperatures dipping down to 55 to 60 degrees. They like an average humidity level and tend not to do well in very hot, humid climates.
What happens if a cat eats an Easter Lily?
Symptoms that a cat has ingested Easter lily include lethargy, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Seek medical care immediately if you suspect your cat has eaten any amount of the plant. Early treatment can help to prevent the more critical effects.
What kind of soil do lilies like?
These flowers like a well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter, though they can grow in a variety of soil types as long as the drainage is good. They prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH, but they can tolerate slightly alkaline soil as well.
Why is the Easter hare associated with Easter?
The hare was soon connected with Easter because the holiday's date depends upon the full moon.". According to other sources, 18th-century German settlers introduced "Oschter Haws" (Easter Hare), the character many children know as the Easter Bunny, to America.
Where did the first Easter service take place?
Some sources state that a Moravian congregation in Herrnhut , Saxony, had the first Easter sunrise service in 1732. After an all-night prayer vigil, the unmarried men went to the town graveyard to sing hymns of praise to the risen Lord. The next year, the entire congregation joined them.
What does the iconography of Mary Magdalene mean?
Orthodox icons often portray Mary Magdalene holding a red egg or a flask of myrrh. Burton-Edwards notes, "Iconography means 'icon writing,' not 'icon painting,' and that the images 'written' here were intended to convey ideas and theology more than factual stories." The egg itself was already a sign of new life in Eastern cultures.
What is the most important day of the year for Christians?
For most Christians, Easter is the most important day of the year. However, when it comes to traditions such as decorated eggs, lilies and Peter Cottontail, even the most seasoned Easter celebrants may have questions. Several years ago we got some answers from a variety of United Methodist experts.
Why did Mary Magdalene give Jesus an egg?
According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Mary Magdalene visited the Emperor Tiberius and showed him an egg as a way to talk about the Resurrection of Jesus. "One version of this story," says the Rev. Taylor W. Burton-Edwards, former director of worship resources for United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, "is that the egg was white to start with, ...
Why did the flowers bow their heads in the Garden of Gethsemane?
According to legend, Kennedy writes, when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the flowers bowed their heads in grief and pity. "But the proud lily would not bow its lovely white head. "The next day, the lily discovered that Jesus was going to be crucified.
Where did the idea of coloring eggs come from?
The origin of people coloring and decorating eggs is not certain. Some sources report the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians and Romans colored eggs for spring festivals. In medieval Europe, people offered beautifully decorated eggs as gifts. In Russia and Poland, writes Pamela Kennedy in The Symbols of Easter , people spent hours drawing intricate designs on Easter eggs. In early America, children colored eggs using dyes made from bark, berries and leaves.