Using flowers to send loved ones on death's mysterious journey is a custom as old as grief and woven into all cultures. Flowers have been used to mask the odors of body decomposition and to symbolize resurrection and hope. Flowers still play an important part in modern funeral customs.

Neanderthals

Ralph and Rose Solecki excavated Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq in the 1950s and discovered pollen and pieces of flowers next to the skeletons of Neanderthal people who lived 60,000 years ago.

Ancient Cultures

Egyptians buried flowers with their dead, and the Greeks crowned their dead with flowers and placed flowers on their tombs. Romans decorated their funeral coaches with flowers and wreaths.

Medieval Europeans

In medieval Germany, people visited graves of their loved ones and covered them with flowers while they discussed earthly events with the deceased. Medieval Europeans used roses and lilies to express their grief.

Lincoln's Funeral

The burial of Abraham Lincoln helped change the role of funeral flowers in America. Journalist Noah Brooks wrote, "In those days the custom of sending 'floral tributes' on funeral occasions was not common, but the funeral of Lincoln was remarkable for the unusual abundance and beauty of the devices in flowers that were sent by individuals and public bodies."

Victorians

Victorians believed that flowers were symbols of resurrection and eternity, and they featured flowers in their funerals. A Victorian etiquette book exhorted mourners: "They are love's last gifts, bring flowers, pale flowers."

Source:

Victoriana: The House of Mourning

PR Log: History and Importance of Sympathy Flowers

The Flower Expert: Flowers and Religion

More Information:

Sacred Texts: Trees, Flowers, Body-Snatching

Mr. Lincoln's White House: President Lincoln's Funeral