UpdateBot at 19:29, 3 May 2022

2022-05-03T19:29:30Z

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{{Short description|Decorative wreath or cord, used at festive occasions}}
{{other uses}}
{{cleanup reorganize|date=December 2018}}
A '''garland''' is a decorative [[braid]], [[knot]] or [[wreath]] of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance.
[[Image:Choinka.JPG|thumb|[[Tinsel]] garlands on a Christmas tree]]

==Etymology==
From the [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|guirlande}}, itself from the [[Italian language|Italian]] {{lang|it|ghirlanda}}, a [[braid]].<ref name="etymology">{{cite book |title=The Gaelic Etymology of the Languages of Western Europe: And More Especially of the English and Lowland Scotch, and Their Slang, Cant, and Colloquial Dialects |publisher=Trübner |year=1877 |last=Mackay |first=Charles |url=https://archive.org/details/gaelicetymology00mackgoog/page/n134 |access-date=December 5, 2015 |page=100 |language=en }}</ref>

==Types==
*[[Bead]] garland
*[[Flower]] garland
*[[Lei (garland)|Lei]] - The traditional garland of [[Hawaiʻi]].
*Pennant garland
*[[Pine]] garland
*[[Popcorn]] and/or [[cranberry]] garland
*[[Rope]] garland
*[[Tinsel]] garland
*[[Vine]] garland
*[[Balloon]] garland
*[[Mundamala]] - Garland of severed heads or skulls, found in [[Hindu]] and [[Tibetan Buddhist]] iconography.

===Daisy chain===
[[Image:Daisy chain.JPG|thumb|left|A [[Bellis|daisy]] chain]]

A garland created from the [[Bellis|daisy]] flower (generally as a children's [[game]]) is called a daisy chain. One method of creating a daisy chain is to pick daisies and create a hole towards the base of the stem (such as with [[fingernails]] or by tying a [[overhand knot|knot]]). The stem of the next flower can be threaded through until stopped by the head of the flower. By repeating this with many daisies, it is possible to build up long chains and to form them into simple [[bracelet]]s and [[necklace]]s.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=BBC Gardening|title=Make a Daisy Chain|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/homegrownprojects_daisy.shtml|access-date=2 April 2013}}</ref> Another popular method involves pressing the flower heads against each other to create a look similar to a caterpillar.

The terms "[[wikt:daisy chain|daisy chain]]" or "daisy chaining" can also refer to various technical and social "chains."

==In literature==
[[File:India - Chennai - Colours - Heavy garlands for sale (3058669185).jpg|thumb| Heavy [[flower garlands]] for sale in [[Chennai]], India ]]
In ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' by [[Lewis Carroll]], before Alice's adventures begin, she is sitting outside with her sister considering whether to make a daisy chain before being interrupted by a [[White Rabbit]].

===In poetry===
{{trivia|section|date=November 2020}}
[[File:Roman fresco of a woman wearing a garland of olives, from Herculaneum.jpg|thumb|[[Roman art|Roman fresco]] of a woman with [[red hair]] wearing a garland (or [[Chaplet (headgear)|chaplet]]) of olives, from [[Herculaneum]], made sometime before the city's destruction in 79 AD by [[Mount Vesuvius]] (which also destroyed Pompeii).]]
*Garlands appear in numerous poems, including "[[La Belle Dame sans Merci]]" by [[John Keats]].
*In [[the Bible]] (English Standard Version), Proverbs 4:9 describes Wisdom as: "She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."
*In the 1913 novel ''[[The Golden Road (1913 novel)|The Golden Road]]'' by Lucy M. Montgomery a "fading garland" is used as a metaphor for the evening of life or aging in general "[...] Did she realize in a flash of prescience that there was no earthly future for our sweet Cecily? Not for her were to be the lengthening shadows or the '''fading garland'''. The end was to come while the rainbow still sparkled on her wine of life, ere a single petal had fallen from her rose of joy. [...]".<ref>Chapter XXX</ref>
*In the 1906 children's book ''[[The Railway Children]]'' by [[Edith Nesbit]], garland is used as a metaphor as well: "Let the garland of friendship be ever green."<ref>Chapter IX</ref>

==Regional variants==
===India===
====General====
[[File:Garlanded Devi.jpg|thumb|A garlanded image of [[Devi]] at the [[Jain temple]] of Sravanbelagola]]

Garlands were historically purely secular at first sought for their fragrance and beauty and used for decorating houses, roads, and streets.<ref name="GarlandMag">{{Cite magazine|last=Bais|first=Mitraja|date=1 December 2017|title=Mala: The floral garlands of India|url=https://garlandmag.com/article/mala-the-floral-garlands-of-india/,%20https://garlandmag.com/article/mala-the-floral-garlands-of-india/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-14|magazine=Garland|language=en-AU}}</ref> It is eventually applied to [[Hindu deities]] as an important and traditional role in every festival where these garlands are made using different fragrant flowers (often [[jasmine]]) and leaves.<ref>{{cite book| first=Gurcharan| last=Singh Randhawa| title=Floriculture in India| url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8170230578| page=606| year=1986| publisher=Allied Publishers| isbn=8170230578}}</ref> Both fragrant and non-fragrant flowers and religiously-significant leaves are used to make garlands to worship Hindu deities. Some popular flowers include:
*[[jasmine]]
*[[champaka]]
*[[lotus (genus)|lotus]]
*[[lily]]
*[[Saraca asoca|ashoka]]
*[[nerium]]/[[oleander]]
*[[chrysanthemum]]
*[[rose]]
*[[hibiscus]]
*[[Tabernaemontana divaricata|pinwheel flower]]
*[[Artabotrys hexapetalus|manoranjini]], etc.

[[Image:NilaiMaalai.JPG|thumb|House main door frame decorated with door frame garland (''Nila Maalai'') during a [[Housewarming party]] in [[Tamil Nadu]]]]

Apart from these, leaves and grasses like [[Cynodon dactylon|arugampul]], maruvakam, [[Artemisia pallens|davanam]], maachi, paneer leaves, [[Chrysopogon zizanioides|lavancha]] are also used for making garlands. Fruit, vegetables, and sometimes even currency notes are also used for garlands, given as [[sacrifice|thanksgiving]].

[[Indian wedding|Wedding ceremonies in India]] include the bride and groom wearing a wedding garland. On other occasions, garlands are given as a sign of respect to an individual person or to a [[murti|divine image]].

A [[gajra]] is a flower garland which women in India and [[Bangladesh]] wear in their hair during traditional festivals. It is commonly made with [[jasmine]]. It can be worn around a bun, as well as in braids. Women usually wear these when they wear [[saree]]s. Sometimes, they are pinned in the hair with other flowers, such as roses.

====South India====
In ancient times, [[Tamil Nadu|Tamil]] kings employed people to manufacture garlands daily for a particular deity. These garlands were not available for public consumption.

In contemporary times, each Hindu temple in southern India has a ''[[nandavanam]]'' (flower garden) where flowers and trees for garlands are grown. Large Shiva temples like [[Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram]], [[Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvarur]], and [[Arunachaleswara Temple]], and those found in [[Thiruvannamalai]] still preserve such nandavanams for supplying flowers for daily rituals.

Stone inscriptions of [[Rajaraja I]] at [[Thanjavur]] gives details of patronage bestowed by royals to the conservation of nadavanams that belonged to the "[[Brihadeeswarar Temple|Big Temple]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tamilnadu.com/temples/tanjavur-periya-kovil.html |title=Thanjavur Periya Kovil - 1000 Years, Six Earthquakes, Still Standing Strong |publisher=Tamilnadu |date=2014-01-27 |access-date=2014-07-29}}</ref>

[[Tagetes|Marigold]] and [[Catharanthus roseus|nitya kalyani]] garlands are used only for corpses in burial rituals. At social functions, garlands are used to denote the host.

At [[Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam|Srirangam Ranganathar temple]], only garlands made by temple ''sattharars'' ([[Brahmacharya|brahmacaris]] employed for garland-making) are used to adorn the deity [[Vishnu|Ranganatha]]. Garland and flowers from outside the temple grounds are forbidden. Sattarars have several disciplinary rules for many aspects of their profession, some of which include:

*Flowers should be picked in the early morning.
*Flowers should not be smelled by anyone.
*Flowers should be picked only after one has bathed.
*The flowers which fallen from the plant and touched the ground should not be used.
*Namajapam, or the repetition of holy names, should be done while picking flowers.

While making garlands, the sattarars keep flowers and other materials on a table in order to keep them away from the feet, which are traditionally viewed as unclean and unfit for use in a religious context. Material is always kept above hip level.

South Indian garlands are of different types. Some of them are as follows:

* Thodutha maalai - Garlands made from the fiber of the banana tree (vaazhainaar). Common in marriage ceremonies and devotional offerings. In all Hindu marriages the bride and bridegroom exchange garlands three times. These garlands range in length from {{convert|1+1/2|to|12|ft|m|1|order=flip|abbr=on}} and vary from {{convert|2|in|cm|0|order=flip|abbr=on}} to {{convert|3-4|ft|m|order=flip|1|abbr=on}} in diameter.
* Kortha maalai - Made using needle and thread. Jasmine, mullai, and lotus garlands are made using this method. Malas for the gods have two free lower ends with kunjam (bunch of flowers), i.e. only the upper two ends are joined and the lower ends should not be not joined. They have two kunjams, whereas garlands for human use have both lower ends joined (only one kunjam).

Each Hindu deity has a unique garland:
*[[Tripura Sundari|Lalitha]] wears [[hibiscus]]
*[[Vishnu]] wears [[tulasi]] leaves
*[[Shiva]] wears [[bilva]] leaves
*[[Kartikeya|Subrahmanya]] wears [[jasmine]]
*[[Lakshmi]] wears [[Nelumbo nucifera|red lotus]]
*[[Sarasvati]] wears [[Nelumbo nucifera|white lotus]]
*[[Durga]] wears [[nerium oleander]]
*[[Vinayaka]] wears [[Cynodon dactylon|dūrvā grass]]

The tradition of garlanding statues as a sign of respect extends to respected non-divine beings, including ancient King [[Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II]] and the innovative colonial administrator [[Mark Cubbon]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cover-story//articleshow/22088724.cms? |title=Cubbon garlanded in hush-hush ceremony in front of High Court |work=Bangalore Mirror |publisher=The Times of India Group |date=2013-08-24 |access-date=2017-10-15 |quote=It was the first time since independence that Cubbon has been honoured thus. The group strongly feels Cubbon deserves it; they credit him with being one of the architects of Bangalore and Mysore. }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Correspondent |first=Special |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/leaders-garland-mutherayar-statue/article8638623.ece |title= Leaders garland Mutherayar statue |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai |date=2016-05-24 |access-date=2017-10-15 |quote=Collector K.S. Palanisamy led the district administration officials in paying respects to ‘Perumpidugu’ Mutharayar by garlanding the statue at Othakadai Junction in the morning. }}</ref>

===Nepal===
A reference to a garland is found in the Nepalese national anthem, [[Sayaun Thunga Phulka]]. The first line reads, "Woven from hundreds of flowers, we are one garland that's Nepali."

==See also==
*[[Angulimala]]
*[[Chaplet (headgear)]]
*[[Festoon]]
*[[Japamala]]
*[[Lei (garland)|Lei]]
*[[Phuang malai]]
*[[Seven Sisters (colleges)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Garlands}}
*{{wiktionary-inline|garland}}

{{Christmas trees}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Objects used in Hindu worship]]
[[Category:Seasonal traditions]]
[[Category:Christmas decorations]]

Garland - Revision history

UpdateBot at 19:29, 3 May 2022