Birth Flower for October

Every flower has a history and every flower symbolizes something. Often the history and symbols are confusing and contradictory but they are still fascinating. If your birthday is in the month of October, your flower is the calendula. Here is the story and language of your flower.

Linguistic Roots for the Name Calendula

The Latin name for the European marigold was calendula, which derives from the Latin word calendae ‘the first day of the month.’ The word has also been translated as ‘a little calendar or little clock.’ The name was appropriate since the flower bloomed throughout the entire calendar year and provided monastery gardens and altars with a constant supply of golden blooms.

Calendula was often called pot marigold because it was used as seasoning in the cooking pots of the poor and was used as an inexpensive substitute for saffron, adding its color to cakes, butter, and puddings.

The common name for calendula, marigold, is straightforward and translates as ‘Mary’s gold’. Calendula blossoms were called Mary’s gold because they were considered the Virgin Mary’s flowers.

Like the sunflower, the calendula blossom follows the sun; as a result, it has earned the nickname ‚”Sun’s Bride.”

In Germany, the flower was often called ‘monk’s head’ because when stripped of its petals, the remains look like a monk’s tonsure.

It is believed that when Shakespeare wrote about merrybuds, he was referring to the blossoms of calendula.

Among other nicknames for the popular blossom are souci, marybud, bulls eye, garden marigold, and holligold.

Speaking with the Calendula

While the language of flowers is often contradictory and complicated, the calendula’s role is more complicated than most. For instance, Heilmeyer writes that during the nineteenth century the marigold, “representing the shining sun, became a symbol of life following its preordained path in the same way as the flower follows the sun.” Yet, its strange smell caused it to be planted in graveyards as well (72).

In contrast, Bobby Ward writes in the book A Contemplation Upon Flowers that ‚”In the language of flowers, marigolds suggested sorrow and despair and sometimes grief and misery” yet by adding poppies to a bouquet the speaker suggested that ‚”I will soothe your grief.” Other flower combinations including marigolds would indicate various joys and sorrows of life. A contradictory attribute given to marigolds was the idea that dreaming of marigolds was indicative of future prosperity and riches (261).

Take a look at a complete list of Flowers of the Month.

Sources

Heilmeyer, Marina. The Language of Flowers: Symbols and Myths. Prestel Verlag, 2001.

McVicar, Jekka. The Complete Herb Book. Kyle Cathie Limited, 1994.

Ward, Bobby J. A Contemplation Upon Flowers: Garden Plants in Myth and Literature. Timber Press, 2005.

Wells, Diana. 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1997