Floral Traditions in Russia - from Garden of Eden Flower Shop

Floral Traditions in Russia - from Garden of Eden Flower Shop


Welcome again to our tour of floral traditions around the world! Last month we took a trip to Japan; this month, our destination is Russia! 

Have a girlfriend in Russia? Then remember this: ALWAYS give an uneven number of flowers! Unless it’s for a funeral - in that case you should send an even number of flowers. This rule is for up to a dozen flowers, but most people will follow it even if they give a big bouquet – such as 51 roses for a 50th birthday. Just keep in mind that a dozen roses in Russia should be a Baker’s Dozen, and you’ll be fine!

Love in Russia is strongly associated with flowers. The ideal boyfriend ALWAYS brings flowers to a date and gives flowers for special occasions. What kind of flowers? That depends on the lady’s taste. Most women love long stemmed red roses, and only very few may think it is cheesy or too grandiose. To be on the safe side, the giver can start with white or cream roses in the beginning of the relationship and progress in density of color as their love gets stronger. Some women would think, though, that roses are too much in the early stages - in that case, a beautiful option would be either simple field flowers or traditional choices such as daisies or mums. Avoid yellow flowers – many people think they are bad omen and lead to a break up. The least sexy flowers? Carnations! Why? Because they are associated with the Soviet holidays.

The best bet is a nice, simple bouquet of flowers. The giver will want to give that
bouquet to the lady of the house. Make sure that you bring wine or sweets for other members of the date’s household. If you know that the family likes houseplants, those may be appropriate. But present flowers in pots only if you are sure. Some people don’t like to care for house plants. Also, if you present a plant in the pot, make sure you know people’s tastes. Some people love orchids, some care about low maintenance succulents or violets.

If your child goes to a Russian school – opt for gladiolus (3 flowers) or aster (5
flowers) on September 1st , as a gift for teacher on the first day. Any color works, but for some reason red gladiolus are the most typical. Avoid lilies or other flowers which could trigger allergies, or just have a strong smell. Flowers will be in the classroom and at the teacher’s home afterwards.

Make sure a hospital allows visits and accepts flowers first of all. Buy such flowers that don’t smell, just to avoid allergies. That’s actually a good rule of thumb for hospital arrangements for any country; keep in mind most hospitals won’t accept lilies, and the same goes for Russian hospitals.

Russian funeral traditions are the same as in the USA: gladiolus, lilies, roses, and so forth are appropriate. Just make sure if roses are sent, they’re an even number!

Hope you enjoyed our trip to Russia! Thanks for reading, and next month we’ll visit England!

 

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