Tulips are back! And this year it seems even better after two years of COVID restrictions! I missed those tulips, and missed walking among them with their bright yellows, reds, oranges, pinks, and purples. *sighs*

This past Saturday the spring weather arrived, and with it, sunny warm weather to enjoy the bright blooms. This year it was busy at the tulip fields, and I will say, this was a lucky shot above, since majority of my photos have someone photo bombing! But it’s the tulips that are the star, not me!

Up until around last year I thought tulips were originally from Netherlands, until I stumbled upon the exact origins of this beautiful spring flower. So next time you tour a tulip farm, you can appreciate these blooms even more!

Tulip Story:

Tulips originated in the wilds of Tien Shan Mountains of Central Asia and were cultivated in Persia and Turkey in 10th century. The tulip became the symbol of the 15th century Ottoman Empire, giving the period the name The Tulip Period. The sultans of the empire prize these treasures in their gardens until Western diplomats to the Ottoman court started taking note of the breathtaking floral oddity and reported back about the flower that looks like a turban, hence the name which is Persian for turban. Hence in the 16-17th centuries the flower made it way to Holland (Netherlands) and the rest of the Europe via trade. Ever since the tulip has been associated with wooden shoes and windmills because of the Netherlands being the largest supplier of the bulbs.

Legend of The Tulip:

Yet the tulip has a legend surrounding it as the meaning of perfect love. The legend about the love between Farhad and Shirin has few versions, and could have been the story that inspired parts of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Farhad and Shirin fall in love, but the two can never be together. Both are told one of them has died, leading to both taking there life to be with each other. A red tulip grows where their blood laid on the ground as a symbol of their love will last forever.

I agree, walking through the tulips is a reminder of perfect, lasting love in this life of ours. The ones in the garden have been coming up for over ten years, and they are as beautiful as the first time they bloomed.

After a day of tulips, I went home to view the ones I have in the garden with a glass if tea in a Turkish tulip tea glass. As for the tea….well you have to find out in the April Tea Chat post!

“A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone. It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose. It doesn’t have to. It is different. And there’s room in the garden for every flower.”

– Marianne Williamson