The Most Fragrant Flower in My Midst
Chrysanthemums hold immense cultural importance, especially in East Asian countries like China, Korea, Japan, and beyond, where they are regarded as symbols of longevity, rejuvenation, and resilience.
In TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), the blooms are often white or yellow, and when infused as a herbal tisane, share characteristics of refreshing, fragrant sweetness with a tinge of bitterness. Linked to Lung and Liver meridians, Chrysanthemum soothes when we are in the throes of sadness, grief, and anger as a response to injustice, violation, or painful loss. Since TCM correlates the Liver's fire with skin and vision, this flower is an ally for skin reactions (our individuality, old buried things) and ocular issues (fear of seeing the self or reality, capacity relating to the past or future), helping to flush out what is essential, to clear one's ability to see the literal as well as psychically.
Chrysanthemums take center stage during the revered Double Ninth Festival, known as Chongyang Festival or Senior's Day which falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in Chinese lunar calendar (observed in October). The number nine, according to the I Ching (The Book of Changes, the ancient Chinese oracle) defines the number nine as a symbol of Yang, which indicates ultimate unfolding or fulfilment. The notion of longevity and resilience, paired with the number nine and elders, speaks of how this plant is connected to my culture's relationship with the old ones among us, and hence why when an elder of the age 90+ years old passes on, they are graced with a pink funeral instead of a white one.
In the realm of beauty and skincare, empress Cixi from the Qing Dynasty kept a vast collection of beauty recipes. One of them calls for just two ingredients - chrysanthemum blooms and honey. And though my ancestry contain no imperial blood (to the best of my knowledge, anyway, the women in my line consumed and still consume this liquid skin potion, teaching me that food is beauty, plants are beauty, inner harmony is beauty, and that eldership is beauty.
Lastly, I share this because the last Chrysanthemum from my grandparents' generation, my Nai Nai (paternal grandmother), has parted from her physical form. Nai Nai, despite a life filled with extraordinary challenges and injustices, made everything look easy, including how she easefully and peacefully exhaled her last breath. As the petals of tears fall, I'm reminded of this flower, interestingly tattooed on the left side of my body, and am honoured that I am her descendant, and that I, one day, might also be bestowed the title of soothing elder as well. Nai Nai, you've always been the most fragrant flower in my midst, and your scent will never be forgotten. I wish for you, as you always wished for me, the nicest, sweetest, and tastiest of dreams.
奶奶, 我捨不得
Mimi 小咪咪