July 30: International Day of Friendship

July 30: International Day of Friendship

In 2011, the UN General Assembly dubbed July 30th as The International Day of Friendship, a collective gesture of connectivity inspired by the idea that friendship is the foundation of peace and harmonious communities.

An Offering, a Token

We all experience challenges and crises—on a global scale, and individually, as we move through our everyday lives. There are bad days, the loss of a parent or a pet, disappointments. We celebrate, too: a new job, a pregnancy, the love we feel for the people around us. At Beet & Yarrow, we believe in flowers as an offering and token for all of these moments; we also believe in the beauty of a floral offering as a just-because, as a small reminder that someone is thinking of you.

Ancient Meaning

Flowers have been special tokens throughout history—imbued with meaning and a language of their own, tendered as thoughtful gestures. We can trace the tradition of gifting flowers back to the Ancient Greeks and mythology; they associated flowers with gods, and brought floral offerings to temples. This tradition extended into giving flowers to earthly goddesses, and a way of expressing sentiment. In Ancient Egypt, Pharaohs used to decorate their carts with flowers before heading into war, and peasants would adorn themselves and their loved ones with flowers that blossomed near the Nile River. Egyptian myth tells us about the divine qualities of the lotus flower—a flower that opens in the morning and closes at night—an image of rebirth and regeneration. We’ve talked about the language of flowers, too—in the Victorian Era, small posies and bouquets subverted the social standard of emotional repression at the time; offering flowers was an essential means of expression and communication. We have our modern traditions too, of flowers given at times of personal shift, sadness, and celebration. It’s a long-lived gesture of friendship, love, and human connection. 

We’ve got you covered - any time!

For anytime arrangements—whatever the occasion, or non-occasion—we offer a wide range of designs, from wild to romantic and everything in between. If there’s a flower that has special meaning to you, or a color palette that is particularly reminiscent of the person you’re thinking of, just let us know.

It doesn’t have to be for any reason at all—but it can mean everything to the person receiving it. 

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