Morning glories have long been associated with renewed hope and the break of each day. But beyond their role as colorful harbingers of sunrise, morning glories hold a rich symbolic meaning in cultures across the world.
From China to Victorian England, the morning glory has been seen as a flower imbued with spirituality and mortality. Unpacking the origins and meanings behind morning glories provides insight into a flower that contains multitudes.
The History and Origins of Morning Glories
Morning glories are a flowering plant in the Convolvulaceae family, which contains over 1,000 species of vines and succulents. They are native throughout tropical regions of the Americas and were first introduced to China and Japan in the 9th century.
The common name “morning glory” refers to their flowers that unfurl in a spiral shape, remaining open for only a single morning. The flowers come in a stunning range of colors like crimson red, brilliant blue, deep purple, and sunny yellow.
Etymological Meaning
The genus name Ipomoea comes from the Greek words ips (bindweed or worm) and homoios (resembling), referring to the vines’ growth habit. The “glory” in their name is thought to come from the way the flowers open and glow in the morning sun.
Cultural Origins in Folklore
In Aztec folklore, morning glories represented the gods of sun and water and were used in rituals honoring the deities. The Aztecs also viewed the flowers as symbols of mortality, as the fleeting blooms mirrored the transient nature of life.
In ancient China, morning glories were known as “xiang ri kui” or plants that face the sun. The flowers were associated with yearning for absent lovers or family. They also symbolized endurance, as the vines could grow even in poor soils.
Common Symbolic Meanings of Morning Glories
Over the centuries, morning glories have accumulated rich symbolic meanings across various cultures. Though interpretations vary, several common symbolic associations emerge surrounding love, spirituality, and the mortality of man.
Love, Affection, and Mortality
In the Victorian era, morning glory flowers were used to express love, affection, and mortality. Their fleeting one-day blooms evoked the transitory nature of life and were seen as metaphors for the ephemerality of human existence.
During the Civil War in the United States, morning glory flowers were associated with women left pining for husbands, sons, and sweethearts off at battle. The blooms’ short lifespan embodied longing for absent loved ones.
Resurrection and Rebirth
Though individual morning glory flowers last just a day, the vines bloom continuously through summer and into fall. This theme of constant rebirth associates morning glories with resurrection and the renewal of life.
In Christian symbolism, the unfurling flowers represent opening to the fullness of the holy spirit. The blue morning glory specifically symbolizes piety and chastity as the cooler blue tones evoke calmness and temperance.
Spirituality and the Afterlife
Japanese folklore connects morning glories to the afterlife. It was believed that if someone grew morning glories, their soul could climb the vines at night to reach heaven. The Japanese name for morning glories – asagao – means “blue of the heavens.”
In China’s Shandong province, morning glories are known as “flowers of the next world” and represent paths to enlightenment. The flowers were seen as earthly manifestations of spirits in the afterlife guiding ones journey after death.
Cultural Symbolism and Folklore About Morning Glories
Beyond their broader symbolic associations, morning glories have distinct cultural significance in places like China, Japan, and among Victorians that imparted unique meaning onto the flowers.
China
In Chinese culture, morning glories represent feelings of love and longing between separated lovers. It was believed that if two people planted morning glories on graves of ancestors or battlefields, their love was destined to be eternal.
Morning glories are the September birth flower in China, carrying wishes of longevity and prosperity. They are also gifted to newlyweds to signify love and faithfulness within marriage.
Japan
During the Edo period in Japan, morning glories became associated with brilliance and flourishing success. The flowers were symbols of ambition and achievement among samurai, merchants, and warlords.
In Japan, morning glories are known as the “samurai of summer” for resembling courageous warriors unfurling their banners as they charge into battle at daybreak. Their vibrant hues and fighting spirit made them emblems of the samurai code.
The Victorian Era
In the Victorian language of flowers, morning glories represented love in vain, mortality, and resurrection. Their one-day blooms evoked themes of transience and lost love.
During the 1860s, a Victorian craze emerged where women wore morning glory flowers in their hair and gowns as fashion symbols conveying mortality’s bittersweet fragility. The flowers became statements about the brevity of beauty and life.
Though short-lived, morning glories continue to captivate as flowers brimming with spiritual symbolism and cultural heritage. Their trumpet-shaped petals contain a cosmos of meaning – one that unfolds anew with each passing day.
Morning Glories in Modern Symbolism
While morning glories retain their historic symbolic associations, the flowers have taken on new meaning in contemporary contexts as well:
Freedom and Liberty
With their lush, wild growth habit, morning glories can represent independence and freedom. Their vines seem to resist constraint, growing abundantly along fences and trellises.
In parts of the American South, the morning glory vine is referred to as a “granny vine” symbolizing tenacity and empowered womanhood.
Beating the Odds
Since morning glories can thrive in adverse conditions, they have come to represent perseverance and strength in the face of hardship. The ability to blossom against the odds makes them modern symbols of hope.
In gardening, morning glories represent the willingness to cultivate beauty and joy, even in inhospitable environments.
As flowers that only reveal their full glory for a fleeting time each morning, morning glories symbolize the constant transformation in nature and human life. Their dramatic unfurling embodies the beauty of change and personal growth.
In many ways, morning glories perfectly capture the essence of how we continuously evolve, finding renewal with each rising sun.