Always beautiful

Spring is approaching and the streets and gardens are filled with flowers that brighten up our existence. Light, color and life are concepts associated with them. They open thanks to the sun and with their appealing pigments attract insects and birds that pollinate the plants so that they can reproduce. Some species, without the need of intermediaries to multiply, are content to show simple discrete flowers, without much color or perfume.

They are an expression of life because they speak of joy, love, youth, or marriage and are present in all moments of celebration, although they are also taken as a sign of solidarity and sadness in the face of death, which, after all, is an essential part of the cycle of life. 

But, since when is it common to place them on graves? The link between flowers and funerals has been present in our culture since ancient times. However, it is assumed that the reason was not only to honor the memory of the deceased. The bodies were exposed to be mourned for several days, and embalming techniques were not available to everyone. Therefore, to scent the atmosphere and disguise the odors, incense was burned and the deceased was covered with all kinds of flowers. Although we doubt its effectiveness, we want to see in this gesture the symbol of rebirth, that the ephemeral human life can have, depending on the different beliefs and cultures, an afterlife.

Moving on to lighter topics, flowers have always been used in medicine and pharmacology for their enormous therapeutic qualities, and in the efficient home remedies of grandmothers. In the form of tea, chamomile and linden are used as tranquilizers and digestives, or in creams, such as calendula for skin problems; violet against headaches; narcissus against depression; lavender for arthritis and muscle pain; marian thistle to cleanse the liver and that is now being studied as a potent anticarcinogen. In today’s discredited -perhaps unjustly- homeopathy has a primary use, remember the Bach flowers.

in gastronomy, flowers can be savored in salads, jams and desserts or drunk in herbal teas, wines and liqueurs.  Some are often eaten without thinking that they are flowers, such as artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower. Of course, not all of them are edible -only about 250- and it is better to avoid those of florists because they are treated with pesticides. Zucchini flowers, a delicacy of Italian cuisine, are served stuffed and fried. In Mexico, at least 15 different native species are used in tamales, tortillas, stews and soups: squash, yucca, hibiscus.

Finally, let us not forget that in art, especially in painting, flowers have been a recurring theme as a main or background motif, and even more so in handicrafts where their expressive variety is infinite in carpets, ceramics, embroidery and jewelry.