![]() ![]() ![]() Tradition tells us that the Amazon lily was the Star of Bethlehem guiding the Magi to Jesus. The Madonna lily was associated with the Annunciation, and lilies are often depicted in scenes of the angel's visit to Mary. the white petals signifying her bodily purity, the golden anthers the glowing light of her soul. The Venerable Bede (673-735) compared Our Lady to the lily. A legend from the second century says that when Mary's tomb was opened to show Thomas that her body had been assumed into heaven, it was filled with these flowers. Mary was associated with this passage from the Song of Songs: "I am the Rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys." (2:1) Legends about the flowers developed as people sought to connect them with events from Mary's life. The faithful saw Mary's attributes in the herbs and flowers growing around them and named many plants after her. In earlier times "bringing in the May," the "May" being the flowering branches of any tree in bloom on the first of May, was the custom on the first of May in England and parts of Scotland.Īlso in Medieval times the faithful honored Our Lady as the mother of all growing, living things. The May hawthorn, which bears white blossoms in early spring, became known as Mary's Flower of May. During the Middle Ages, May Day celebrations honoring new life became associated with Mary. ![]()
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