Funeral Flowers

Flowers may seem to be a subtle aspect of a wake and funeral in Singapore, but they carry more meaning and symbolism than meets the eye. Flowers don't only serve to beautify the funeral wake venues, but are also used to convey condolences to the bereaved family.

Each type of flower and its colour holds different meanings that would bring comfort to the family. Hence, families and visitors alike should be thoughtful in making their decisions about the types of flowers they want to give to the bereaved family members.

The most common type of flowers seen at funerals in Singapore are:

 

• Chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums are associated with death in some cultures, Singapore included. Specifically, yellow and white flowers are most commonly seen in wakes and funerals.

• Carnations. Carnations represent grief, love and loyalty, and hence is an appropriate flower to give to grieving families to convey empathy and support.

• Roses. Roses represent a sense of deep love. In this case, it conveys that the family and guests have a deep love for their deceased loved one.

• Lilies. Lilies are commonly associated with majesty and purity. In the context of a funeral, white lilies also suggest that the innocence of the soul is restored to the dearly departed. This hence symbolises a sense of hope to the grieving.

• Sunflowers. This flower symbolises unconditional love and faith towards the loved one. Displaying sunflowers at a wake further demonstrates this unconditional love even in death.

 

Flowers of various colors are also used at funeral wakes. For more conservative families, usually the typical colors would be white and yellow for they are colors of mourning and grieve from ancient times.

In modern times, it is not uncommon to see flowers of other colors like purple, pink and even blue at funeral wakes. In fact, some families would choose to have the wake venue adorned with red flowers when the deceased crosses past a certain age deemed to be acceptable as having had longevity in life. Red is usually associated with auspicious events like weddings and Chinese New Year and when it is being used at funeral wakes, it is usually to celebrate the life of a person well lived.

Flowers are useful in sending sympathy and condolences when you very much want to be present with the grieving family but cannot do so due to various reasons—you could be overseas or just too tied up with something else. Sending a condolence wreath or even a pot of flowers would convey to the bereaved family that you are sorry for their loss and you’re with them during this tough period.

Unsure of what type and what color of condolence flower you should send? Contact us for a non-obligatory consultation to get started!