Crocus, a birthday flower of January 5th

If you were born on January 5th, one of your birthday flowers in Japan is the crocus. The other is Hepitica. In this post, I introduce a little about crocuses in Japan. Crocus is celebrated as a birth flower not just today, January 5th, but also January 3rd, 21st, and 31st as well as February 6 (yellow), February 24 and April 7th.

Crocuses are among the earliest signs of spring, blooming from February to April in cheerful shades of purple, yellow, white, and blue. The photo in this post was taken in early March. In the Japanese "hananokotoba", meaning of flowers, they are said to represent “youthful joy” and “longing,” reflecting the excitement of spring’s arrival. Additionally, each color have their own meaning. Purple crocuses symbolize “regret in love,” while yellow crocuses mean “trust me.” 

The name Crocus comes from the Greek word for “thread,” inspired by the flower’s long stigma. A Greek myth also tells of a youth named Crocus who was transformed into the flower after a tragic love story. In Western flower language, they represent youthful gladness and cheerfulness.