In addition to offering incense, tea, medicine, rice dishes, and fruits on the ancestral altar, it is essential to include floral arrangements. Flowers symbolize the sincere heart of the homeowner towards their ancestors and deities. Therefore, the floral arrangements offered on the altar must have good names, auspicious meanings, dignified colors, and a mild fragrance.
The Versatility and Significance of Jasmine Flowers
Jasmine is a popular flower in Vietnam with its pure white color and delicate fragrance. Jasmine is also a charming flower. In daily life, jasmine is used to infuse tea and enhance the flavor of tea. The aroma of jasmine flowers makes the dishes more appealing. Planting jasmine or placing it indoors helps relax the mind, purify the air, and spread a refreshing fragrance that dispels negative energy and stagnant air.
Jasmine flowers symbolize pure, bright, and gentle love. In traditional medicine, jasmine is a good herbal remedy for relaxation, antioxidant properties, and insomnia support…
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Beautiful and Fragrant Jasmine Flowers, but Not Suitable for Incense
Reasons Why Jasmine Flowers Are Not Suitable for Worship
Jasmine flowers, with their pure white color and beautiful fragrance, have some factors that make them inappropriate for worship:
– The white color of jasmine flowers is not suitable for common worship. The color white often symbolizes sadness and separation. Therefore, offering white floral arrangements and bouquets on the altar of deities, ancestors, or Buddha does not bring a vibrant and prosperous energy. White is usually only used for incense during funerals or at the graves of young people. Therefore, pure white jasmine flowers do not symbolize worship.
– The association of jasmine flowers with non-serious matters: Folklore often associates jasmine flowers with love stories, so jasmine flowers are not considered serious enough for incense. Furthermore, folklore attributes negative connotations to jasmine flowers regarding the unfortunate lives of women, as captured in the saying “planting jasmine while the buffalo grazes.” Hence, the significance of jasmine flowers is not suitable for worship. Despite their pleasant fragrance, they are not considered appropriate for the pure and serene nature required in worship.
That is why jasmine flowers are widely used in Vietnamese daily life – they are beautiful and fragrant but not offered on altars. Dried jasmine flowers are good for making tea. Distilled jasmine flowers can be used as a facial cleanser for skin beauty.
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Beautiful and Meaningful Incense Flowers
Other Flowers That Are Also Inappropriate for Worship
Some other flowers may also be considered inappropriate for worship, such as thorny flowers, lilies, everlasting daisies, dahlias, snow lotus flowers, orchids, and phoenix flowers… These flowers are beautiful but are avoided for incense offerings due to their unappealing meanings or overpowering scents…
Furthermore, when offering incense, it is advisable to avoid using flowers with garish colors, which create a sense of solemnity. It is best to offer incense with flowers in one color and choose flowers that are still blooming, rather than using fully bloomed flowers.
When offering floral arrangements for worship, it is important to change the water regularly to ensure that the flower water does not become stagnant on the altar.
This information should be used for reference and contemplation purposes.