There are many purple flowers associated with the Victorian language of flowers that are popular in today’s tattooing industry thanks to the continuing demand for floral body art designs but one of the rarer used images is that of the lilac tattoo. This symbolizes the emotions of love in its early stages but also makes a visually striking body art image thanks to its vibrant color and pretty shape.
Black used to be synonymous with mourning across Europe in days gone by and was worn to symbolize a recent death. However in the late 1800’s it became popular for a widow to change her clothing colors from black to lilac after a year of mourning and this was widely adopted in European and North American cultures at that time. The name for this pale purple color and flower is derived from both European and Middle Eastern words for plants of a similar nature. The Spanish and French lilacs feature small mauve flowers while the Persian and Arabic variations known as lilak are more pinky purple in color. As body art, the lilac tattoo is both childlike and quirky at the same time but makes rather a visually stunning design when inked on the skin thanks to the pinkish purple of its petals against the green of its leaves. Lilac and vine designs in particular make a striking tattoo however these are also highly symbolic signifying wisdom after maturity as a celebration of one’s growth from innocence through experience.
Like many floral designs, the origins of the symbolism behind a lilac tattoo have links to Greek mythology. Many of the lilac genus are known as Syringa which is its botanical name however this was also the name of a beautiful wood nymph who was pursued though the forest by the god Pan, after he was captivated by her beauty. To escape Pan’s affections, a frightened Syringa transformed herself into an aromatic bush with blooms which we now know as lilac flowers. The genus name Syringa is derived from the Greek word, syrinx, meaning a hollow tube or pipe. This refers to the broad pith in the shoots in some lilac species, which have been easily hollowed out since ancient times to make reed pipes and flutes. Lilacs are also widely associated with Spring and the arrival of their blooms are deemed to herald whether it will be early or late. There is also a genus of this plant that produces white blooms and these particular lilacs represent youthful innocence.
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