Christian flower traditions
Lilies at Easter, the rose and the Madonna lily, altar flowers and wreaths.
HawthornCrataegus
A thorny shrub or tree with white or pink spring flowers and small edible fruits
🇮🇪 Ireland and 7 more · Wildflower
Lily-of-the-valleyConvallaria majalis
A woodland plant with sweet-scented white bell flowers in late spring
🇫🇮 Finland and 4 more · Wildflower
Bay laurelLaurus nobilis
Evergreen tree with aromatic leaves used as bay leaf in cooking
🇬🇷 Greece and 9 more · Flowering tree
ColtsfootTussilago farfara
A yellow spring-flowering herb once used in traditional remedies
🇨🇳 China and 4 more · Wildflower
HyacinthHyacinthus
A spring-blooming bulb with fragrant, colourful flower spikes
🇹🇷 Turkey and 7 more · Bulb flower
Common hawthornCrataegus monogyna
A thorny shrub or tree with white spring flowers and red fruit, native to Europe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 more · Wildflower
ColumbineAquilegia vulgaris
A nodding blue or purple wildflower with spurred petals, known as granny’s bonnet
🇫🇷 France and 5 more · Wildflower
Decoration
Palm Sunday
Christian festival with palms or local branches marking Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Custom
Decoration
Mothering Sunday
A British day for honouring mothers and the mother church, marked with violets and cake
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 more · Custom, Mar to Apr
Decoration
Hıdırellez
Spring festival marking the meeting of Hızır and İlyas, celebrated on May 5–6
🇹🇷 Turkey and 8 more · Custom, May
Decoration
Palm branch
A symbol of victory, peace, and eternal life made from palm leaves
🇪🇬 Egypt and 7 more · Offering or rite
Decoration
Easter palmpalma wielkanocna, verba
A decorated willow or juniper branch for Palm Sunday in Poland and Lithuania
🇱🇹 Lithuania and 3 more · Offering or rite
Easter lilyLilium longiflorum
White, trumpet-shaped lily known for its role in Easter celebrations
🇯🇵 Japan and 3 more · Garden flower
Pussy willow
Soft, silvery spring catkins from several small willow species
🇷🇺 Russia and 4 more · Wildflower
Poppy anemoneAnemone coronaria
Red, white, or blue Mediterranean flower with a dark crown centre
🇮🇱 Israel and 7 more · Wildflower
Decoration
Perfume
A scented liquid made from oils, flowers, and aromatics for body and space
🇫🇷 France and 6 more · Arrangement
Decoration
May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Month-long Catholic customs honouring Mary with flowers, altars, and processions
🇮🇹 Italy and 7 more · Custom, May
Decoration
Sawdust carpettapetes de aserrín
Intricate street designs made of dyed sawdust and organic materials for religious processions
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 more · Carpet or floor pattern, Mar to Nov
Decoration
May Day Festival
A spring festival with flowers, greenery, maypoles and bonfires on the first of May
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 more · Custom, May
Decoration
Papel picado
Mexican folk art banners made by cutting designs into colored tissue paper
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Rose waterگلاب
Flavoured water made by steeping or distilling rose petals
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 more · Offering or rite
Royal poincianaDelonix regia
A tropical tree with bright red-orange flowers and fern-like leaves
🇲🇬 Madagascar and 8 more · Flowering tree
Red campionSilene dioica
A wild pink-red flower of woods and roadsides in northern and central Europe
🇮🇪 Ireland and 4 more · Wildflower
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Žemaitijos kelias, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- May Day Festival: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Papel picado: Ferfive, CC BY 4.0, source
- Rose water: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bay laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Royal poinciana: Averette, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Red campion: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Coltsfoot: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Lily-of-the-valley: Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hawthorn: Nadiatalent, Public domain, source
- Anemone: Aviad2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hyacinth: The wub, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Common hawthorn: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Columbine: Josep Gesti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Palm Sunday: Pietro Lorenzetti, Public domain, source
- Mothering Sunday: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hıdırellez: Правительство Республики Крым, CC BY 4.0, source
- Palm branch: Einsamer Schütze, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Easter palm: Evaldas Liutkus, CC BY 2.0, source
- Easter lily: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pussy willow: Bernie, Public domain, source
- Perfume: Takkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sawdust carpet: Rosalba Muñoz RomeroLia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source