Offering chrysanthemums (mortuary taboo - France, Italy)
Chrysanthemums are reserved for funerals in France and Italy. Giving them as gifts is seen as a curse.
Meaning
Target direction : Chrysanthemums are attractive, long-lasting flowers, offered as prestige bouquets or decoration.
Interpreted meaning : In France and Italy, chrysanthemums are reserved for cemeteries and funerals, symbolizing death and mourning.
Geography of misunderstanding
Offensive
- france
- italy
- spain
- portugal
- belgium
- netherlands
- luxembourg
- germany
- austria
Neutral
- usa
- canada
- uk
- japan
- south-korea
1. The gesture and its expected meaning
Chrysanthemums are long-lasting, elegant flowers, appreciated in North America and Japan as prestigious gifts. Their long blooming period (autumn-winter) makes them popular for corporate bouquets and home arrangements.
2. Where things go wrong: the geography of misunderstanding
In France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and German-Belgian countries, chrysanthemums are exclusively associated with cemeteries and funerals. This association dates back to the Catholic tradition of floral offerings on All Saints' Day (November 1). Offering a chrysanthemum to a living person is interpreted as an omen of imminent death or a curse. This taboo is so deep-rooted that French and Italian florists refuse to prepare chrysanthemums for happy occasions.
3. Historical background
The association goes back to medieval Catholic All Saints' Day: Chrysanthemums chosen for their hardiness in autumn-winter climates, making floral deposits at graves practicable. In the 19th-20th centuries, institutionalized in continental Europe. Mauss (1925) and Hendry (1993) document how flowers acquire mortal meanings in different contexts. Chrysanthemum became the flower of mourning par excellence in Latin France.
4 Famous incidents documented
In 2003, a Parisian florist (Maison du Foin) accepted an order from a British client requesting a "bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums" for a French client's birthday. The bouquet caused serious offence; the customer thought she had received a "floral curse". Since then, cross-cultural business manuals (Financial Times 2008) regularly warn against Chrysanthemums in France and Italy.
5. Practical recommendations
To do: Avoid all Chrysanthemums in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, German-Belgian areas. Offer roses, tulips, red carnations, lilies, peonies. Consult your local florist.
To be avoided: Never offer chrysanthemums to anyone living in a funeral-adjacent context (France, Italy, Iberia, German-Belgian areas).
Practical recommendations
To do
- • Éviter totalement les chrysanthèmes en France, Italie, Espagne, Portugal, Allemagne, Autriche, Belgique. • Offrir des roses, tulipes, œillets rouges ou roses, lys, pivoines. • Consulter un florist local pour confirmer conventions régionales.
Avoid
- • Ne jamais offrir de chrysanthèmes à quelqu'un de vivant en contexte funéraire-adjacent. • Ne pas supposer que jeunes générations ignorent ce tabou : persistance > 85 %.
Neutral alternatives
- Red or pink roses
- Tulips
- Red or pink carnations
- White or pink lilies
- Peonies
- Orchids
Sources
- Essai sur le don
- Wrapping Culture: Politeness, Presentation, and Power in Japan and Other Societies