Shrug - that's an interesting question. I know that in Hispanic culture the marigold is considered the flower of the Dead, and is used extensively in Dios de los Muertos decorations and altars.
(*google break*)
Wow. Apparently the marigold has lots of cultural baggage from all over the place...
Let's see... it looks like in India the marigold represets luck, and that it's sometimes offered to the gods Vishnu and Lakshmi, particularly in the month of December. It's often used in wedding garlands along with roses, and in religious ceremonies, draped in garlands over statues and on temples. They can be used to make dye - which I would guess is probably saffron-colored, so there's a connection with monks, too, perhaps.
Here's a mythological connotation:
Among the aboriginal tribes of Central India, known as the Gonds, legend connected the origins of marigold with the God of the Gonds, Gondmuli. He abducted the wife of another god and, in a fierce battle, the other god emerged victorious after cutting off Gondmuli's head. The wife wept for Gondmuli as she was dragged back by her husband. She dropped her hairpin and a marigold sprouted from the place it landed.
Marigolds are used as offerings and decoration for places of worship, at funerals, weddings and other ceremonies. During the festival of Holi, when people splash each other with coloured water and powder, yellow water is obtained by soaking and boiling the flowers and then leaving them overnight in the liquid. |
