Flowers for worship and offerings
Laid before gods and shrines, strung for temples, carried in procession.
Decoration
Bouquet
A creative arrangement of flowers, given or displayed for many occasions
🇨🇳 China and 1 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Garland
A string or braid of flowers, leaves, or other materials for decoration or ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Garland or wreath
Decoration
Floriculture
The science and business of growing flowers and ornamental plants
Arrangement
Decoration
Corn dolly
Straw figures shaped for harvest customs across Europe
🇮🇪 Ireland and 3 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Rangoliरंगोली
Indian floor art made with coloured powders, rice, or petals for festivals and daily welcome
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Pushpanjaliपुष्पाञ्जलि
A flower offering in Hindu worship and classical dance
Offering or rite
Decoration
Onam
Kerala’s ten-day harvest festival with flower carpets, feasts and boat races
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Custom, Aug to Sep
Decoration
Pohela Boishakhপহেলা বৈশাখ
Bengali New Year marked by processions, fairs, and flower-adorned gatherings
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 more · Custom, April
Decoration
Ashtamangalaअष्टमङ्गल
A sacred set of eight auspicious symbols in Indian religions
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Art or design
Decoration
Day of the DeadDía de (los) Muertos
Mexico’s festival of remembrance with altars, marigolds, and sugar skulls
🇲🇽 Mexico · Custom, November
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
Well dressing
Decorating wells with flower petal pictures in rural England
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Carpet or floor pattern
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
BeltaneBealtaine / Là Bealltainn / Boaltinn
The Gaelic May Day festival with bonfires and yellow flower decorations
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 more · Custom, May
Decoration
MidsummerMidsommar
Europe’s summer solstice festival with bonfires, flowers and outdoor gatherings
🇸🇪 Sweden and 5 more · Custom, June
Decoration
Korean garden
A natural garden style shaped by rocks, ponds, and harmony with the land
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 more · Garden style
Decoration
TếtTết Nguyên Đán
Vietnam's spring new year festival with flowers, family, and lucky customs
🇻🇳 Vietnam · Custom, Jan to Feb
Decoration
Pomander
A scented ball or container worn or carried to perfume the air
Worn flowers
Decoration
Papel picado
Mexican folk art banners made by cutting designs into colored tissue paper
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Attarअत्तर, عطر
Traditional natural perfume oil distilled from flowers, herbs, and spices
🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Flower craft
Decoration
rose oil
Essential oil distilled from rose petals, prized in perfume and tradition
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 4 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Rose waterگلاب
Flavoured water made by steeping or distilling rose petals
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 more · Offering or rite
Decoration
Arabesque
A rhythmic pattern of scrolling foliage and lines in Islamic and European art
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 more · Art or design
Decoration
Mughal garden
A formal garden style of pools, canals, and symmetry from the Mughal era
🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Garden style
Decoration
Tiharतिहार
Nepal’s five-day festival of lights, flowers, animals, and sibling bonds
🇳🇵 Nepal and 3 more · Custom, Oct to Nov
Decoration
Gosekku五節句
Five seasonal festivals once held at the Japanese imperial court
🇯🇵 Japan · Custom
Decoration
Dry landscape garden枯山水
A Japanese garden of rocks, moss, and raked gravel for meditation
🇯🇵 Japan · Garden style
Decoration
Ikebana華道
The Japanese art of arranging flowers with form and meaning
🇯🇵 Japan · Arrangement
Decoration
Pichhwai
Large painted cloths showing Krishna, hung in temples for worship and festivals
🇮🇳 India · Art or design
Decoration
Rikka立花
A formal Japanese ikebana style with upright, symbolic floral arrangements
Arrangement
Decoration
Seika生花
A classical Japanese ikebana style with triangular lines and seasonal flowers
🇯🇵 Japan · Arrangement
Decoration
Pūjā in Buddhism𑀧𑀽𑀚𑀸
A ritual offering and devotional act in Buddhist practice
🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Offering or rite
Decoration
Chabana茶花
Simple flower arrangements for the Japanese tea ceremony
🇯🇵 Japan · Arrangement
Decoration
Kadomatsu門松
Paired bamboo and pine displays for the Japanese New Year
🇯🇵 Japan · Arrangement, Jan to Dec
Decoration
Saga Goryū嵯峨御流
A Japanese school of ikebana rooted in Buddhist tradition
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Banmi Shofu-ryū晩美生風流
A modern school of Japanese Ikebana known for its use of driftwood
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Ikenobō池坊
Japan’s oldest and most influential school of ikebana flower arranging
🇯🇵 Japan · Arrangement
Decoration
Hòn non bộ𡉕𡽫部
Vietnamese miniature landscapes of mountains and islands in trays or basins
🇻🇳 Vietnam · Arrangement
Decoration
History of flower arrangement
How arranging flowers became an art across cultures and centuries
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Korean flower arrangement
Arranging Korean flowers and branches in simple ceramic vessels
Arrangement
Decoration
Floral design
The art of arranging flowers and plant materials into decorative displays
🇪🇬 Egypt and 7 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Floristry
The craft and trade of arranging and selling flowers
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 3 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Wreath
A ring-shaped decoration made from flowers, leaves, or other materials
🇬🇷 Greece and 7 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Advent wreathAdventskranz
A ring of evergreens and candles marking each week of Advent
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 more · Worn flowers, Nov to Dec
Decoration
Wreath (attire)
A circular headpiece made of flowers, leaves, or branches for celebration or honour
🇬🇷 Greece · Worn flowers
Decoration
Cut flowers
Fresh flowers and buds trimmed for decoration and display
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 more · Arrangement
Decoration
Chaplet
A ring-shaped headpiece woven from flowers, leaves, or twigs
Garland or wreath
Decoration
Lei
A garland or necklace of flowers, leaves, or shells given to honor or celebrate
🇺🇸 United States and 3 more · Garland or wreath
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bouquet: James Vick's Sons (Rochester, N.Y.); Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed, No restrictions, source
- Garland: No machine-readable author provided. Piotrus assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Floriculture: James Locke, Public domain, source
- Corn dolly: Renata ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Pushpanjali: Yosarian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Onam: Jiteshgt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pohela Boishakh: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ashtamangala: Redtigerxyz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Žemaitijos kelias, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Well dressing: User:WhaleyTim, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- May Day Festival: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Midsummer: Kora27, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Korean garden: DinkY2K at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tết: vi:Lưu Ly, Public domain, source
- Pomander: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Papel picado: Ferfive, CC BY 4.0, source
- Attar: Kerina yin, CC0, source
- rose oil: Itineranttrader, Public domain, source
- Rose water: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Arabesque: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Mughal garden: Muhammad Ashar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tihar: Sreekumar K. S., CC BY 2.0, source
- Gosekku: Kakizaki Hakyo, Public domain, source
- Dry landscape garden: Jnn 。, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ikebana: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pichhwai: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Rikka: Gryffindor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Seika: Gryffindor, CC0, source
- Pūjā in Buddhism: Luca Galuzzi ( Lucag ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Chabana: Gryffindor, CC0, source
- Kadomatsu: Nesnad, CC BY 4.0, source
- Saga Goryū: coniferconifer, CC BY 2.0, source
- Banmi Shofu-ryū: GustavoReinoso7777, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ikenobō: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hòn non bộ: Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- History of flower arrangement: Otto Scholderer, Public domain, source
- Floral design: Jmaxx37, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Floristry: Joachimj, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wreath: Олександр Майоров, Майкл Ендрюс, Світлана Буланова, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Advent wreath: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY 4.0, source
- Wreath (attire): Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cut flowers: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chaplet: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Lei: possibly Fernando Le Bleux, Public domain, source