Chrysanthemums for the dead

What it is

All Saints' Day, 1 November, is a public holiday in much of Europe, and All Souls' Day follows on the 2nd. In the days before, flower sellers set up outside cemetery gates with rows of potted chrysanthemums in yellow, white, bronze, pink and purple. Families wash the gravestone, pull weeds and set the pots in place. In Poland and neighbouring countries they also light candles in glass lanterns, and after dark the cemeteries glow with thousands of small flames.

Where it comes from

Chrysanthemums were brought to Europe from East Asia and became common garden plants in the nineteenth century. They flower in late autumn, when little else does, and they stand a light frost. This made them the natural choice for a November feast. In France the custom is usually dated to 1919. On the first anniversary of the end of the First World War the government called for the graves of soldiers to be decorated, and chrysanthemums were what was in bloom.

In East Asia

In Japan, Korea and China, white and yellow chrysanthemums are the usual flowers of mourning. They are placed before the portrait of the dead person at a funeral, and mourners may each lay a single white stem. The flower has other meanings there as well. In China it stands for autumn and long life, and in Japan a stylised chrysanthemum is the emblem of the imperial family. So the same flower can be festive in one setting and solemn in another.

How to take part

1. Visit a large cemetery such as Père Lachaise in Paris or Powązki in Warsaw on 1 November.
2. In Poland, go again after dusk to see the candles.
3. If you have a grave to visit, buy a pot at the gate. Sellers will advise on colours.

Good manners

• Do not give chrysanthemums as a gift to a host in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain or Poland.
• In East Asia, avoid giving white flowers as a present for a happy occasion.
• Keep your voice down in the cemetery, and do not photograph mourners.

The flowers

ChrysanthemumAutumn-blooming flower with thousands of varieties, cherished in East Asia and beyondCyclamenTubered Mediterranean flowers with upswept petals and patterned leaves

Also part of it, and being written: Chrysanthemum × morifolium, Calluna.

Sources and further reading

• All Saints' Day on Wikipedia