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2. The February flower is Violet.
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The word „volet‟ is believed to originate from
the word „vias‟ which translates to mean
„wayside.‟
This is a low, herbaceous plant that comes in
various shades of blue, mauve, yellow and
cream as well as several species identified as
pansies and symbolize faithfulness, humility
and chastity.
The violet has appeared in myth, paintings and
literature in history.
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3. About Violet
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The flower associated with St. Valentine‟s Day has
often been identified as the rose, but in actual
fact, the violet is connected to the Christian priest
who was imprisoned by a Roman emperor. As the
legend goes, St. Valentine kept encouraging
believers with messages of friendship and love.
He apparently crushed violet blossoms found
outside his cell to make ink, which he used to write
on leaves with a dove delivering the messages.
American poetess Phoebe Fulkerson Harris
documented the tradition of sending postcards and
letters on St. Valentine‟s Day with violets with her
poem “Lines accompanying a bunch of violets sent
on St. Valentine‟s Day” in 1900.
It is also a well-known practice in New England to
decorate a Valentine‟s Day gift of a box of
chocolates with a bouquet of violets.
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Folklore Points to the Violet
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Attis, a dying earth god, mutilated himself
under a pine tree and as a result during spring
equinox a felled pine tree would be brought to
earth mother goddess Cybele. It would be
wrapped in wool swaths decorated with
violets, as it was believed they appeared from
Attis‟ blood on the ground.
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A similar legend points to violets growing
where Greek Ajax killed himself in shame over
an act of cowardice. The Greek dramatist
Aristophanes used the phrase “violet-crowned
city” to describe Athens in one of his
plays, and English historian Macauley did the
same.
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5. Violet Symbolizes
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Love of truth
Or the truth of love
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The tomb of Roman tyrant Nero was said to
be decorated with violets each spring by
someone who had secretly admired or
loved him.
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6. In Shakespeare‟s Hamlet
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Violets are used to convey constancy and
devotion and appear in lyrics to a song sung in
Act IV, Scene 5 that states, “I would give some
violets, but they withered all when my father
died.”
For the Tartans
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Violets were apparently used as a food source
for the Tartans having been cooked down into
a soup.
In the Middle Ages
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Monks called them the Herb of the Trinity and
favoured the violet for its scent.
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7. For Medieval herbalists
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Believed that violets had antiseptic properties
and claim they soothed pain and also stopped
the growth of malignant tumours.
For Romans
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Believed they cured spleen disorders and gout.
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8. In the United States
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The violet is a popular symbol with four states
adopting it as a state flower.
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Wisconsin chose the wood violet in 1909 as
state flower.
Rhode Island selected it in 1897 and
adopted that choice in 1968.
Illinois picked the violet as their state
flower in 1907.
The „common meadow‟ violet became the
official state flower of New Jersey in 1971.
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9. Hidden messages of the Violet included:
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“I‟ll Always Be True” (violet)
“Let‟s Take A Chance” (White/Cream)
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