Sunflowers & Ukraine
It’s easy to see where sunflowers got their name. They’re big, beautiful, bright yellow like the sun, and will lighten up any garden or home. They have become popular, not just for their natural beauty, but for what they come to signify: a symbol for happiness, optimism, honesty, longevity, peace, admiration and devotion.
It’s no surprise that Ukraine chose the sunflower as their national flower long ago; however, now these yellow pockets of sunshine have come to take a more defiant meaning as Ukraine continues its fight against the Russian invasion. In a video that has now gone viral, you can see a Ukrainian woman telling armed Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil, “Take these seeds so sunflowers grow here when you die.”
Since then, sunflowers have become a worldwide symbol of solidarity, resistance, unity and hope. We see sunflowers popping up in emojis, twitter accounts, masks, and protests in support of Ukraine. Isn’t it interesting how a simple flower can come to mean so much to so many and so quickly?
