Perhaps more than any flower, the tulip has always captured my heart and imagination. Ever since I was little, I adored the tulip. My mom grew them in her garden, and I distinctly remember how tall and sturdy they were. I couldn't have been much taller than each flower, and I would gaze downwards into the the blooms in awe. Then I fell in love with the illustrations of flower fairies by Cicely Mary Barker, and the Tulip Fairy was my favorite - so much so that she was the inspiration for a Halloween costume one year.
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| Cicely Mary Barker's Tulip Fairy |
Not until more recently I learned about tulips and their incredible history. I think most of us associate tulips with the Netherlands, even though their origin is of more eastern descent. But the Dutch do love their tulips, so much so that there was actually a phenomenon in Dutch history called, Tulip Mania. I kid you not! During this period, in the early 1600s, a single tulip could catch as much as 4200 florins (for a little perspective, the annual income of a skilled worker at the same time was 300 florins a year!).
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| the Viceroy tulip from the Tulip Mania period |
My understanding of tulips expanded greatly when I visited Turkey this past November. Tulips actually originate from Turkey and the Middle East. I've read that the word tulip is actually a corruption of the Turkish word for turban. Almost everywhere Turkey, tulips can be found in art and design. Take a look at the photo of me enjoying a cup of Turkish tea. You'll notice the shape of the tea glass is decidedly the same as the shape of a tulip, trust me, this is no coincidence! The Turks seem to love two things very much - tea and tulips! But then look at the tile work on the wall behind me and you'll see more tulips! Gorgeous isn't it?
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| tulips, tulips everywhere! |
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| a souvenir from Turkey with their beloved tulip in blue |
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| a view from above, just the way I did when I was little! |
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| stunning colors! |
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| a few from my garden this past spring |
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