Daisy flower meaning and symbolism includes new beginnings, hope, innocence, fun, affection, and other sweet attributes. Daisies are part of the Asteraceae family of flowers, which includes over 32,000 species. Because of their popularity and the fact that daisies can be found on every continent except Antarctica, they are subjects in the mythology and folklore of many cultures around the world. This post will include some of those stories, as well as daisy color and spiritual meanings.
(As a side note, sunflowers are also part of the aster family of flowers, but because they are so distinct and have slightly different meanings, I wrote a separate post on sunflower meanings that you can read here.
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āI keep stars in my pockets and wear daisies in my hair but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart and take you everywhere.ā
ā Melody Lee
Here’s a quick list of what daisies symbolize. We’ll go into more detail on these throughout this post:
Around the world daisy flowers are symbols of new beginnings. Blooming in spring, these charming flowers remind us of fresh starts, sunshine, and renewal. Because of this, they are often given as gifts or planted to welcome new babies into the world.
The name ādaisyā actually comes from an Old English term that translates to ādayās eye.ā The reason is that, like lotus flowers, daisies open up in the morning to take in the dayās sunshine and then close up again in the evening. So, the daisy reminds us that with each day, there is an opportunity to begin again.
Because they symbolize new beginnings, daisy flowers are also symbols of hope. They remind us that hope is one of the most powerful tools we have for manifesting better outcomes and a better world. Even disappointments can bring new opportunities. As the saying goes, āWhen one door closes and another one opens.”
As they are symbols of new beginnings and hope, daisy and aster flower meaning is also associated with innocence. As a result, these special flowers are representative of babies and children.
Itās important to keep in mind that innocence can apply to adults too. In this way, daisy meaning is akin to what the Buddhists describe as āhaving a beginnerās mind.ā It means to embody a way of being and an approach to life and situations with the curiosity and enthusiasm of a child. This way, you benefit from having a fresh perspective.
Just as they are associated with springtime, newborns and babies, daisies also symbolize fertility and motherhood. In fact, as youāll read about later in this post, daisy flowers were associated with the Norse goddess Freya, who was a fertility goddess.
There is an easy-breezy aspect to daisy flowers. They bloom in spring, when nature is waking up, and they grow easily in a variety of conditions. Not to mention, these flowers are easy to draw. In fact, they were probably the first flowers that many of us drew as kids.
As daisies are associated with children, they are also associated with fun and lightheartedness. After all, children naturally love to laugh and have a good time.
How many of us have plucked the petals of a daisy as we played the game āHe loves me, he loves me notā or āShe loves me, she loves me notā? Because daisies grow easily in many locations, they are often the wildflowers picked spontaneously for a bouquet to give to someone you have a crush on. Thus, daisy flower meaning also includes affection and love.
In fact, in Victorian England, where flower symbolism was a popular pastime, giving daisies to someone meant that you returned their affection.
Many of us have made daisy chains by connecting the stems of daisies together. This pastime goes back hundreds of years, to a time when daisy chains were worn as head wreaths or belts. However, the daisy chain is more than a pretty garland, as they symbolize fidelity and eternal love.
The Latin name for the Asteraceae family of flowers comes from the Latin word for āstar,ā which is āaster.ā These flowers not only resemble bright stars, theyāre also named for the Greek goddess Astraea who turned into a star. (You can read more about Astraea in the section on Greek mythology below.)
As symbols for stars, daisies remind us of something fundamental, which is that we all originated from the same source. As Joni Mitchell sang in her song āWoodstockā:
āWe are stardust
Billion year old carbonā¦ā
Daisies come in a variety of bright colors, and each has special meanings. Here are some of those qualities:
With their white petals and yellow centers, white daisies symbolize innocence and the other classic daisy traits, such as babies, motherhood, hope, and new beginnings. White daisies make lovely gifts for new parents and newborns.
Like sunflower symbolism, yellow daisies symbolize joy, childish fun, hope, and good luck. They make lovely gifts for friends or anyone whose spirits you want to lift.
Orange aster flowers symbolize health, healing, and optimism. They also symbolize zany, off-beat fun.
Pink daisies symbolize affection and love, including both platonic and romantic love. They are ideal gifts and lovely to plant in gardens for new babies, new moms, or friends and family.
Red daisy flowers are positive symbols for wealth and prosperity. In addition, like other red flowers, they symbolize romantic love. Because the nature of these flowers is lighthearted and fun, red daisies make lovely gifts for new crushes.
In addition, as symbols of eternity and fidelity, they make wonderful gifts for long-term partners, especially when you want to rekindle the flames in your romance or reconfirm your commitment to each other.
Many daisies come in purple hues. So, like orange daisies, purple aster flowers symbolize zany fun and spontaneity. In addition, as purple is the color of peace and understanding, like other purple flowers, a purple daisy represents the kind of hope and optimism that brings people together and heals misunderstandings. Thus, it is a flower that represents unity.
As with other blue flower meanings, blue daisies symbolize long-term loyalty and trust. They’re also helpful symbols for visualization. Like wishing on a star, focusing on a blue daisy in prayer or meditation can help you to calm your mind and envision positive outcomes.
Green daisies symbolize new beginnings, renewal, and growth. So, they are helpful symbols for new creative, business, or other endeavors.
On a spiritual level, daisy flowers represent spiritual faith and the eternal life of the soul. They also represent the possibility that we all have the opportunity to begin again, no matter the mistakes we’ve made in our past. For some, they are also symbols of reincarnation.
Because they grow on every continent except Antarctica, the daisy plays an important role in the natural ecosystems where they grow. As a result, they share synergies with the wild animals and insects in their natural habitats.
For example, rabbits and deer love to eat daisy flowers. In addition, insects including ladybugs, spiders, damselflies, and dragonflies prey on the insects that eat daisies. Therefore, they help to protect the life force of the flowers.
Furthermore, birds, including finches, sparrows, cardinals, and towhees, are attracted to daisies because they eat their seeds or the insects that live in their ecosystems.
Furthermore, the ancient Greeks would dry and crush the roots of daisy flowers and feed them to bees if they were sickly.1
On a spiritual level, daisies share synergies with the rabbit spirit animal because they are symbols of fertility and new beginnings. In addition, as symbols of fidelity and eternal love, they share symbolic meaning with birds, of which the majority, including eagles and crows, are monogamous.
Because they grow on nearly every continent on Earth, daisy and aster flowers have appeared in the myths and folklore of many cultures around the world. Here are some of those stories:
For the ancient Greeks, daisy flowers were sacred. The Greeks made them into wreaths, which they placed in their temples. In addition, they burned their leaves to detoxify the air and drive evil spirits away.
The ancient Greeks also associated their goddess Astraea with daisy flowers. According to one Greek legend, during the Iron Age, humans began to make a lot of weapons and warfare increased. Incensed with the violence, Zeus decided to destroy the world of men with a great flood. But before he did, the gods, who had been living on Earth, left. The goddess Astraea was the last to leave. Heartbroken at the loss of life, she asked Zeus to turn her into a star.
Eventually, the flood waters receded. But all that was left of the world was mud and slime. Seeing the destruction, Astraea wept, and her tears fell as stardust. When they hit the land, they turned into daisy flowers.2
For Native Americans, daisies, like sunflowers, are associated with the life-giving attributes of the sun. The Native Americans also eat the daisy seeds and they used to use their stalks as building materials.
In the U.S., daisies are April birth flowers. They are associated with new beginnings, happiness, and lighthearted fun.
For the ancient Celts, daisies brought protective powers and good luck to babies and young children.
The Vikings associated daisies with their goddess Freya, who was a fertility goddess and the guardian of new mothers.
In China and Japan, daisy flowers are associated with fidelity and eternal love.
A daisy tattoo is a great design for a tattoo because these flowers are relatively simple in composition, yet they symbolize many positive attributes. A daisy tattoo tells the world that you are lighthearted and look for the fun in life. It can also be an ideal symbol when you are starting something new in your life. While tattoos are highly personal to each individual, hopefully understanding the qualities that daisies represent will bring deeper meaning to your tattoo.
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