GARLAND

a band, or chain, of flowers, foliage, and leaves; it may be joined at the ends to form a circle (wreath), worn on the head (chaplet), or draped in loops (festoon or swag). Garlands have been a part of religious ritual and tradition from ancient times: the Egyptians placed garlands of flowers on their mummies as a sign of celebration in entering the afterlife; the Greeks decorated their homes, civic buildings, and temples with garlands and placed them crosswise on banquet tables; in ancient Rome, garlands of rose petals were worn, and carved wooden festoons (a craft revived in the 17th and 18th centuries) decorated homes. These garlands are a recurrent motif in classical and Renaissance paintings and relief sculptures. In the Byzantine culture a spiral garland made with foliage and tiny flowers was popular as were those of narrow bands of alternating fruit or flowers and foliage. During the 15th and 16th centuries garlands of fruits and flowers, especially of roses, were worn in pageants, festivals, and at weddings, a custom echoed in the folk festivals of Europe in which cattle are decked with flowers and dances are performed with chains of flowers linking the participants (garland dance). The religious significance of garlands was evident in the European Middle Ages (c. 5th15th centuries) when they were hung on religious statues. The Hindus in India also attach a spiritual meaning to flowers, wearing and adorning their statues with blessed garlands. See also wreath.