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Why is the yellow daisy used for offering incense at the altar, while the purple, white, blue and red daisies are not?

Daisies are the most common flowers used in Vietnamese worship rituals, but we usually only see yellow daisies. White, purple, blue, and red daisies seem to be overlooked in our offerings.

Administrator

6 January, 2024

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Daisies are one of the types of flowers that appear all year round and almost every week there are daisies outside the market. Daisies are also the most familiar flowers from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the offering to the ancestors to the offering for the Lunar New Year, worshipping spirits, opening ceremonies, and grave visitation.

In particular, yellow daisies appear on many occasions, from worshipping at home to visiting temples and ancestral altars, and going to the graves.

What does offering daisies symbolize?

In the daisy family, there are many types of daisies such as large daisies, chrysanthemum daisies, medicinal daisies, perennial daisies, egg daisies, and imperial daisies. And daisies come in many colors, including white, yellow, green, red, purple, and orange.

The daisies used for offering are usually large yellow daisies or egg daisies, gold chrysanthemums or coin daisies.

Daisies with multiple petals represent longevity and bring wealth and luck to the family. Daisies are associated with the legend of a filial son who wished for his mother to live long and sat tearing the petals of the flowers, with each petal representing an additional year of his mother’s life. Therefore, daisies are associated with filial piety and the respect for ancestors.

Offering daisies pays homage to the ancestors, wishing for abundance of blessings, good health, and harmony among family members.

Since ancient times, daisies have been commonly grown flowers that bloom all year round. Daisies are also considered precious flowers in the four-gift set (pine, daisy, bamboo, and apricot blossoms) of ancient people.

Yellow daisies have a warm golden color, symbolizing brightness, luck, and wealth. When placing yellow daisies on the ancestral altar, it enhances the aesthetic appeal as the altar is usually made of dark wood and the offerings often consist of green bananas, red apples, yellow grapefruits, and orange citrus fruits, creating a colorful display. Therefore, yellow daisies contribute to the harmony of the five elements on the altar.

Daisies of various colors such as white, purple, green, and red are less commonly used for offering as they are smaller flowers that lack the solemn beauty and do not carry the symbolic meaning of wealth and luck like yellow daisies. Moreover, daisies of various colors do not convey a sense of solemnity and seriousness on the ancestral altar.

Offering flowers should be of a single color, reflecting solemnity, with large and clearly visible petals representing wealth. It is not advisable to arrange a mixed bouquet with many colors and types of flowers on the ancestral altar.

Therefore, on the ancestral altar, yellow daisies are often used, while other types of daisies are used for home decoration.

Some notes when arranging daisy offerings:

– It is recommended to choose an odd number of stems, as odd numbers are considered positive and even numbers are considered negative. When offering to ancestors, it is desirable to use odd numbers to represent growth.

– The daisies used for offering should be almost blooming, not too young or fully open.

– Caution should be exercised when buying daisies for offering, especially when selecting stems with many leaves infected with plant diseases. Before placing them in a vase, it is advisable to wash the leaves thoroughly.

– After offering, the flower vase should be lowered to prevent the flowers from withering on the ancestral altar, and the water in the vase should be changed to prevent the flowers from decaying, which may cause an unpleasant smell on the altar.

The information provided is for reference and contemplation purposes.