Enjoying Lilacs with kids in nature's great classroom

Enjoying Lilacs with kids in nature’s great classroom…

The Lilac ~ derives its name from the Spanish lilac, Arabic lilak, Persian lilak, a variant of nilak meaning “bluish,” and from the Persian words for indigo, lilah and lilanj. The Lilac is a shrub, cultivated for its fragrant blossoms which are known for their lovely violet color, but there are also white, pinkish, yellow and dark burgundy varieties of the Lilac blossom…

~ Lilacs coming into bloom in my neighbor's yard, Bristol, RI ~ — ~ Lilacs coming into bloom in my neighbor’s yard, Bristol, RI ~

The genus name Syringa is derived from the Greek word syrinx, meaning a hollow tube or pipe. The hollow tubes of the lilac shrub were once used as pipes.

Lilac Festivals are held around the world to honor the blossom itself and the coming of spring. The Lilac is heralded as a May Flower and is the state flower of New Hampshire.

Poets love the Lilac. 19th century American poet Walt Whitman’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d is one of the most renowned lilac poems, with lovely stanzas such as…

In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings,

Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,

With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,

With every leaf a miracle—and from this bush in the dooryard,

With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,

A sprig with its flower I break.

The Lilac also symbolizes early love and is often associated with beauty and pride, while the white blossoms symbolize youthful innocence.

Let your kids in on the secrets of the Lilac. Honor a special person in your life today with the Lilac as a symbol of love and beauty and innocence, perhaps in a poem!

Enjoying Lilacs with kids in nature’s great classroom