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Calla Lily Meaning - Elegant Lily Flowers

Updated on February 8, 2013

Calla Lily Meanings - Love - Purity - Death - Courage

There is more than one calla lily meaning, as with most lilies they can mean different things depending on who you talk to. The Calla Lily has many several different meanings, however this flowers has remained a sign of beauty and purity throughout all religions and cultures everywhere. The lily flower has stood for purity through history, and almost every lily you come across will stand for purity by someone's standards, purity is usually reserved for white lilies but not always.

Calla Lillies—Ani Carrington (Flickr.com)
Calla Lillies—Ani Carrington (Flickr.com) | Source
Calla lily bouquet, Calla Lilies Mini—CGWF (Flickr.com)
Calla lily bouquet, Calla Lilies Mini—CGWF (Flickr.com) | Source

Calla Lilies Meaning

The original Calla lily meaning is magnificent beauty, a name given to it by the Greek Goddess, Hera, who was a gorgeous and well known, and respected goddess.

Calla lilies are flowers that are often used at a funeral or to put on a loved one or friend's grave site. They not only mean beauty, sorrow and rebirth but these flowers also stand for a long lifespan.

If you care for the calla lilies correctly they will last between 4-8 days. This is best done by either placing in a vase of water and or the sun and fresh air at a grave site will keep the lilies looking beautiful making a great piece to leave with your loved ones. Their long lasting loveliness is one of the reasons the calla lily is used in this manner.

Where the meaning of death being associated with these flowers came from is the Romans who used the Calla lily to put on the grave of a person who died at a young age. The Romans also associated the lily with Sexuality and lust.

The Minoans believed that the calla lily stood for purity. The Christians associated the flower with chastity, a little different than the Romans. That is a bit of history for you.

Today the Calla Lily is used in a variety of things including Weddings, funerals, flower bouquets and gardens.

Calla lilies are a beautiful lily flower, so it's no wonder why they are used in weddings. The flowers produce a sweet scent that is inviting and happy that makes a good atmosphere for everyone at the wedding. At weddings they are usually placed one the tables or around the fence, or even used as the bouquet that the bride will carry.

Talking about Calla Lilies with Yolanda Vanveen

Calla lily bouquet, Pond Bouquet—clairity (Flickr.com)
Calla lily bouquet, Pond Bouquet—clairity (Flickr.com) | Source

Other names for Calla Lilies

This lily also goes by the names of the Trumpet lily, pig lily, arum lily, tantalizing water dragon, callalily, and cala lily. The proper name for a Calla lily is the Zantedeschi, though it is commonly called the Calla Lily most often and when talking to other people or ordering lilies you are best to refer to them with their common name. All of the names have the same Calla lily meaning though, so you won't need to look up the exact meaning of all the names a Calla lily can be called by.

Where Are These Lilies From?

This flower is native to South Africa, growing up through the country Malawi, which is located in alignment with the northern border of the island Madagascar. Growing in these places the Calla lily finds itself in a tropical environment where it gets just the right amount of sun, is getting plenty of rain and constant warm temperatures year long allowing for calla lilies to grow and flower all year round. The Calla Lily will bloom in late spring in the US because of the warmer weather.

Calla lily bouquet, calla lilies for my bouquet—marajane creations (Flickr.com)
Calla lily bouquet, calla lilies for my bouquet—marajane creations (Flickr.com) | Source
Calla lily bouquet, —devinlynnx (Flickr.com)
Calla lily bouquet, —devinlynnx (Flickr.com) | Source

Calla Lily Colors

Calla lily come in many different colors, commonly you will find them in white, these are chosen especially for weddings. However they come in several other colors to consider.

Calla lily meaning by color:

  • White Calla Lilies are a symbol of purity, and peace, as well as love. The are very elegant and extremely beautiful making them a great choice for weddings, and they are commonly used as such.
  • You will find black calla lilies, these are actually just a very dark purple but they can appear to be black, unlike other colors these don't really have a variation in shade because it is either black or if lighter it will fall into the purple category.
  • Pink and purple calla lilies are usually put under the same category because of the similarity in color. Pink will often also have purple and purple have pink. You can find them in a pastel pink color all the way through a deep violet.
  • The green calla lily is considered to be the the most exotic of all the colors that these lilies come in. These look more like a plant than a flower, resembling an aloe plant. They will sometimes have green edges leading down to a white middle or vice versa. These Calla lilies have been nick named the Green Goddess.
  • You can find red calla lilies, these come in colors ranging from hot pink to a deep burgundy. The red calla lily means love, romance, passion, courage, and passion. You will often see these in weddings as well, usually mixed with white ones.

Do you like Calla Lilies? With the Calla Lily meaning this lily is the main choice for many for special events, gardens and bouquets, and it is no wonder, they are a beautiful flower.

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