My Name is Lily
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The name Lily, currently ranked in the top 20 for most popular names, is enjoying a surge of popularity. And why not? With it’s elegant, nodding, bell-shaped bloom and heavenly scent, the lily is one of the world’s most beautiful and beloved flowers. And… the Lily’s existence has been noted for quite some time.
The first known representation of the lily, etchings found on a villa in Crete, date back to 1580 BC. The ancient Egyptians celebrated the lily as a symbol of fertility and rebirth, drawing its image on their tombs. In Chinese culture, the lily is a good-luck charm.
Ancient Hebrew culture valued the lily as well, and mentions of the flower as a metaphor for beauty and purity appear throughout the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church adopted the white lily (later known as the Madonna lily) as a symbol for The Virgin Mary. Perhaps the most ubiquitous iteration of the lily comes in the form of the fleur-de-lis, which appears on numerous coat of arms throughout Europe.
Though the lily has long been associated with the ethereal realm, it has also been celbrated for its practical uses. In the 8th century, Charlemagne mandated that his subjects grow lilies in their gardens for medicinal purposes. During Elizabethan times, as well, lilies were thought to have healing properties.
Today, the lily remains a favorite choice for brides who love the soft, creamy white of its flower and its symbolissm of innocence, purity and new life. But perhaps the most moving, modern use of the flower comes each year on Easter Sunday, when church altars around the world are awash in lilies – symbolizing the return of spring and the promise of new life.
