Cultural Significance and Symbolism
In some countries of Europe (e.g., France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Croatia), incurve chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism; similarly, in China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and/or grief. In some other countries, they represent honesty. In the United States, the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful, with New Orleans as a notable exception.
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A Ming dynasty Chinese red lacquerware dish with carved design of chrysanthemums and dragons
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Chrysanthemum crest on the Mikasa
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Chrysanthemum crest on the gate of Yasukuni shrine
Read more about this topic: Chrysanthemum
Famous quotes containing the words cultural, significance and/or symbolism:
“A society that has made “nostalgia” a marketable commodity on the cultural exchange quickly repudiates the suggestion that life in the past was in any important way better than life today.”
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