Did you know that you had a birth flower? Yep. And there is evidence to suggest that the origin of the ‘birth flower’ dates all the way back to the ancient Greeks. So I thought that over the next year, I’d enlighten you as to yours by telling you the birth flower each month. (However, if your curiosity gets the better of you and your birthday is NOT October, Google is the answer to everything.) Enjoy the Myth, Lore and Meaning!

October Birth flowers: Marigold and Cosmos

Marigold

Meaning: The Marigold has two opposite meanings: The 21st century meaning draws from the cheerful colors of the marigold and interprets it as a symbol of optimism and prosperity. But the more traditional (and ancient meaning) of the flower is grief over the loss of a loved one. The ancient cultures used the marigold bloom as an adornment on the graves of their departed. They believed that the striking brilliancy of the golden bloom represented sunrays or ‘light paths’ that led their loved ones to eternity. Other cultures saw the flowers’ flaming colors as a symbol of the sun and its ability to resurrect things once dead. (For example: think of the ‘resurrection’ of plants year after year by the light of the sun.)

Name Origin: The flower is native to the Mediterranean, but the first known name for the flower was coined affectionately by the Anglo-Saxons as ‘golds.’ During the Middle Ages, Marigolds were used to adorn the foot of Virgin Mary statues, and thus the flower’s name became the “Mary-gold.”

Fun Facts:

· Marigolds are a natural mosquito repellent.

· Some marigold blooms are edible and are used as adornment by culinary artists.

· Poet John Keats wrote warmly about the flower in one of his poems: “Open afresh your round of starry folds, ye ardent marigolds.”

Cosmos

Meaning: Generally the meaning associated with the Cosmos flower is order, and serenity.

Name Origin: Its name comes from the Greek word ‘Kosmos,’ and symbolizes the order and centeredness of the universe. Spanish Missionaries to Mexico are the first known people to name the flower, and chose its name because of the bloom’s striking symmetry.