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THE GREATEST LOVE STORIES: Marc Antony and Cleopatra

11/24/2017

IMMORTAL LOVE STORIES
"Some love stories are immortal. And the true love story of Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most memorable, intriguing and moving of all times…The relationship of Antony and Cleopatra is a true test of love." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130190252

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
This is a great love story everyone is familiar with – at least some version of the tale. And it has captured the interest of many from Shakespeare to Cecil B. DeMille, and presented in many stories, movies, plays, books, and artwork. According to historian Adrian Goldsworthy, most of the retellings of the love affair are less than accurate, so it's possible your favorite version of the story isn't quite the way it went.

MARCUS ANTONIUS
Without getting into too much Roman history – because it is long, boring, and messy -- Marcus Antonius of Rome was Julius Caesar's second in command. After a civil war, when Caesar assumed his fifth and final consulship in 44 B.C., Antony was his co-consul.
Busts of Antony and Cleopatra

Antony heard rumors of the plot against Caesar, but was unable to warn him in time. After Caesar's death on the Ides of March, 44 BC, Antony took charge of Caesar's will, which named 17-year-old Octavian, Caesar's adopted son, as his heir.

Concerned about turning such a vast empire over to a teenager, Antony and two others took over the rule of the empire, creating the Second Triumvirate, and split the responsibility into three geographic areas. Africa fell into Antony's territory.

This made the three men of the triumvirate enemies of Octavian, the future emperor, but it put Antony at the pinnacle of power over the known world of the time. The map below shows the extent of the Roman Empire in 40 BC.

Octavian (Augustus Caesar)

CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the queen (pharaoh) of Egypt and the last monarch of the Ptolemaic Empire, the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy, who served as general under Alexander the Great during his conquest of Egypt in 332 B.C.
She ruled Egypt as co-regent (first with her two younger brothers and then with her son) for almost three decades. Legend claims she was not only beautiful but intelligent. She spoke nine languages, was skilled in mathematics and, although she is often considered a seductress, she was studying to be a nun. It's probable that she was Macedonian Greek mixed with Egyptian blood, but no one knows for sure.

Cleopatra became queen at the age of 17 and ruled Egypt for 22 years. Her father, and later Cleopatra, were dependent on Rome to maintain the empire. Hence she became an ally and lover of Julius Caesar until his assassination in 44 BC. They had one son together.

THE LOVE STORY BEGINS
After the death of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra was accused of being a party to his assassination. Mark Antony summoned her to his headquarters in Turkey, to explain herself. In 41 BC, she crossed the Mediterranean Sea to meet him. It's said she sailed up the Cydnus River in a decorated barge with purple sails, dressed as the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

It was love at first sight.

Well, maybe. But definitely each party saw something they needed. For Cleopatra, it was another opportunity to achieve power in Egypt and Rome. Antony was twenty years older than Cleopatra … so maybe he was having a mid-life crisis.

According to a 2016 article by Karl Smallwood (http://www.factfiend.com/cleopatra-knew-make-first-impression/) Cleopatra knew how to make an entrance. For her first meeting with Marc Antony, it's written that "Cleopatra stripped naked save for her best come- to- bed- eyes and a shit ton of eye shadow and had her servants roll her inside of a gigantic carpet. She then gave the order to her slaves to deliver this carpet to Caesar’s room. When Caesar opened his door to greet the slaves, they unfurled the carpet at his feet revealing the naked Cleopatra who was now lying on the ground inviting him to into her private chambers."

It is clear from the rest of the text that Smallwood is referring to the meeting of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, not Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The word Caesar was the title given to a Roman emperor, especially from the reign of Augustus to that of Hadrian. Antony, at the time, was one of the three Caesar's who ruled the Roman Empire. Regardless of how they got together, they became lovers, which put Egypt in powerful position. Cleopatra gave birth to twins shortly before Antony was forced to return from Egypt to Rome. They had a third child after he returned to Egypt.

They were married in Antioch, Syria, in 36 BC. As a wedding present, Antony gave her much of the middle east to rule. Soon, as is the tradition of many eastern monarchies, Antony and Cleopatra began presenting themselves as divine -- as gods. That was the last straw for Octavian. He declared war on Antony.

TRAGIC DEATHS
In the Battle of Actium, Greece, Antony and Cleopatra's combined forces lost to Octavian, and they fled back to Egypt. Octavian invaded Egypt and took over Alexandria.

There are two versions of Antony's death. The first, Antony heard Cleopatra had been killed and, in desperation and grief, fell on his sword and died. In the other version, Antony surrendered to Octavian and, following Roman tradition, committed suicide by falling on his sword.

Marc Antony    Cleopatra    Julius Caesar Augustus Caesar

THE WINNERS WRITE HISTORY
Considering who they were and the political roles they played in two great empires, it is, perhaps, surprising to realize neither Marc Antony nor Cleopatra changed the world in any significant way, unlike Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.

After all, the winners write history, and Antony and Cleopatra lost the war with Octavian who became Emperor Augustus Caesar of Rome. Their love story, however, has inspired the world for centuries thanks, primarily, to Shakespeare and an innumerable number of plays, movies, television, books, and television. Some of the most important ones a listed below.

Claudette Colbert    Angelina Jolie Theda Bera, Fritz Leiber,    Vivian Leigh &
Warren William 1934 In production? & Thurston Hall 1917    Claude Rains 1945

Elizabeth Taylor & Billy Zone, Timothy Dalton Hildegard Neil, Eric Porter Rhonda Fleming, William
Richard Burton 1972 & Leonor Varela 1999 & Charlton Heston 1972 Luding, Raymond Burr 1953

Two thousand plus years later, many more people in the world know more about Antony and Cleopatra than they do about Julius and Augustus (Octavian) Caesar, and even fewer know anything about the Battle of Actium.

So, while Antony and Cleopatra may not have made any major contribution to the history of Western Civilization, their love story has outlasted and outshone the history of battles and wars. I'd say that's a significant feat as well as a testimonial for true love.□

Resources
http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/stories/anthony_cleopatra.htm
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ptolemy-XII-Auletes
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130190252
http://www.biography.com/people/groups/mark-antony-and-cleopatra
http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/ac/rcameron.html
http://www.ancient.eu/article/197/
http://www.shmoop.com/antony-cleopatra
http://www.portlandactors.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Antony-and-Cleopatra-Study-Guide.pdfhttp://www.datehookup.com/singles-content-historys-greatest-love-affair-cleopatra-and-mark-antony.htm http://spartacus-educational.com/ROMantcleo.htm
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/antony.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/cleopatra.shtml
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/mark-antony
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/722616702682325499/?lp=true
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/cleopatra
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-julius-caesar
https://www.thoughtco.com/cleopatra-the-famous-beauty-119603

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THE SASSI OF MATERA, ITALY: Retracing the Origins of Mankind

11/17/2017

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Originally posted RB4U blogsite, October 27, 2013

SLEEPING IN A CAVE
You wake up on your first day in Matera in a soft bed, surrounded by plush pillows, stretch hard, and stare up at rough stone walls and a high curved ceiling. The golden light of early morning filters in through a high grate high above your bed, illuminating the irregular shapes and rough-hewn archways. Across the room, candles dance in the rays of sunlight next to a basket of fruit.

Where are you?

Wow! You've been sleeping in a luxury cave in one of the many small hotels in the Sassi of Matera, Italy, which may look like this on the inside and outside.

MATERA? I NEVER HEARD OF IT!
Sometimes called "the town that Italy forgot", Matera is no longer forgotten. It's a small city of around 60,000 inhabitants located on the Adriatic side of the Apennine mountains that runs down the spine of Italy. And it is no longer forgotten for a number of reasons, including the 1993 designation of "The Sassi" as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The rainwater harvesting system at Matera which was used until the early 1900s, consists of a network of channels and gutters carved into the roofs. This led to the “Palombaro Lungo” which is a massive 5 million liter underground cistern. It is this cistern, which is considered one of the largest in the world, that has contributed to putting Matera and the Sassi area on the UNESCO map as a World Heritage Site.

Do I have your attention now?

THE SASSI OF MATERA
The word sasso in Italian mean stone; Sassi = stones. But the World Heritage designation isn't about the rocky location.

The Sassi of Matera are the tufa walls of deep chasms in the Murgia Plain in southeast Italy. The natural caves in these chasm walls have been occupied by humans since prehistoric times. Over thousands of years, these caves have been enhanced and the result is an awesome number of cave homes piled on top of each other along the sides of the chasms.

First signs of human occupancy [skeletal remains] date back to 250,000 years ago, and findings in the Grotta dei pipistrelli—a Neolithic burial site—identified settlements in the area from about 7,000 B.C. forward. According to Fodor's guide, "Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago."

The two ancient rock-hewn quarters of the city are Sassi Caveoso and Sassi Barisano. They house about 20,000, a third of the residents of the now-modern city of Matera. The Sassi are unique and outstanding examples of a prehistoric cave (troglodyte) settlements perfectly adapted to the terrain and ecosystem.

Contributing to the UNESCO designation is the fact that archeological finds give it the distinction of being the oldest continuously occupied site of human habitation in the Mediterranean region.

The cave dwellings are carved out of the soft limestone, one above the other, in a seemingly chaotic way until you realize the caves are really a labyrinth of houses. Occupied for thousands of years, the caves required little upkeep and were cool in the summer. They accommodated livestock in the winter, and when the occupants needed more room, they just dug out more caves in the tufa, a form of limestone. And they provided for good defense against enemies.

The roof of one house may appear as a road, a stairway, a garden or as the floor of yet another house. Walking through the old city, many chimneys sprout out of the road, and you find yourself walking on the roofs of other houses. Distinguishing the natural rock formations and the architecture created by the ancient inhabitants is often impossible.

THE CHURCHES OF MATERA
Along with a plethora of churches dating from Medieval times, which are constructed independent of caves, the undeveloped sides of the ravine [called Murgia Park] are punctuated with 150 caves that have served as churches since the dark ages or earlier. Some of these are simple caves with an altar and perhaps a fresco, some are complex networks of spaces with many chambers.

MODERN HISTORY - THE TOWN THAT ITALY FORGOT
I'm not sure what constitutes "modern history" when dealing with a place that's been occupied for over 9,000 years. Nonetheless, we'll fast forward from the 3rd century BC, when the city was founded by the Romans and named Matheola, through centuries of growth and conquest.

So, now we are back to "the town that Italy forgot".

In1941, an anti-Fascist activist named Carlo Levi, who had been exiled to a small town in southern Italy where he encountered a level of poverty unknown to the more prosperous north, wrote a book entitled "Christ stopped at Eboli." The book describes the living conditions in Matera, including scenes like children begging passers-by for quinine to stave off deadly malaria.

Still, it wasn't until after a visit to the area in 1951 by Prime Minister De Gasperi, when the existence in the Sassi and the lack of sanitary conditions became so severe that it made front page news as "The Shame of the Nation."

At that time, half of the population of Matera lived in the Sassi. The average family size was six children [sharing rooms with animals], and there was no electricity, no sanitary facilities, and no water systems. The infant mortality rate was fifty percent.

In 1952, the government began evacuating the Sassi and moving the population to the newer city. It wasn't until 1986, with the implementation of a law to preserve and recover the ancient cave dwellings, that the abandoned houses were restores as houses, businesses, and cultural centers. That, and the UNESCO designation in 1993, have served to transform the Sassi into viable and charming communities which attract many tourists.

ONE MORE THING – THE MOVIES
Because of the unique and primitive setting, the Sassi districts have been the filming locations for a number of movies, including:

Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964).
Bruce Beresford's King David (1985).
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004).
Abel Ferrara's Mary (2005).
Catherine Hardwicke's The Nativity Story (2006).
Cyrus Nowrasteh's The Young Messiah (2016)
Timur Bekmambetov's Ben-Hur (2016)

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004)

PUT A VISIT TO MATERA ON YOUR BUCKET LIST.
Resources
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/basilicata/matera
http://www.ndt.net/article/art2008/papers/216Guida.pdf
http://www.tufastoneproject.com/index1.html
http://matera.arounder.com/http://www.visitmatera.com/en/grotta-dei-pipistrelli-19.html
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/basilicata/matera/history
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/travel-tips-and-articles/76726
https://routes.tips/blog/secrets_myths_and_legends_of_matera
http://www.understandingitaly.com/basilicata-content/matera.html
http://www.ideasfortravels.com/Site.asp?ID=69N3HDYRVAHBSCQP-city-of-matera-matera-italy-basilicata-italy
http://goeurope.about.com/od/matera/Matera_Italy_Travel_and_Tourism_Information.htm
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0411/the_ancient_stones_of_matera_italy.shtm
http://rosieandtheoperator.blogspot.com/2015/10/matera-shame-of-italystarting-to-bloom.html
http://geology.about.com/b/2011/07/01/tufo-tufa-tuff.htm
http://sancanio.com/matera.html
http://matera.arounder.com/en/city-tour
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matera

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MARIE AND PIERRE CURIE: one of the Greatest Love Stories Ever Told

11/10/2017

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Marie and Pierre Curie are best known for their scientific discoveries, but their personal story is considered one of the great love stories of contemporary times.

As I've mentioned before, contemporary love stories are more difficult to present because they're well recorded, sometimes by people who knew the players intimately, and tend to lack the same fantasy and shine of myths and ancient legends. In this story, I found it impossible to separate the love story from the science which brought the two together.

MARIE SKLODOWSKA-CURIE
Marie Salomea Sklodowska.(Curie) was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867, which, at the time, was within the Kingdom of Poland, a part of the Russian Empire. It's said she spent her younger years as an impoverished teacher and governess. Still, she managed to study at the Warsaw's clandestine Flying University, where she began her scientific training.

To understand her determination you need to know about the educational system at the time. In Poland, under Russian control, only state-sanctioned curriculum could be taught, and that curriculum focused on stamping out Polish culture. In addition, women were not allowed to attend the universities at all [which was not uncommon throughout Europe]. So attaining an education in science took a great deal of effort and commitment on Marie's part.

The Flying University started in Warsaw in 1882. Secret classes for women were held in private homes and taught by rebellious Polish professors and historians. Since these classes were illegal, they frequently changed the location from one home to another. So it became known, among those who knew about it, as the Flying (or Floating) University.

In 1891, when Marie was 24, she joined her sister in Paris to study mathematics and physics at the Sorbonne, and earned advanced degrees with top honors in both subjects by 1894. That same year, as she was in process to deciding her doctoral thesis, she was introduced to Pierre Curie by Polish Physicist, Jozef Wierusz-Kowalsku, who knew Marie was looking for a larger laboratory space. Personality wise, she was an elemental force of nature, and sometime referred to as Pierre's greatest discovery.

Marie and her sister Bronia [Bronislawa]

PIERRE CURIE
Pierre Curie was born in Paris May 15, 1859, and had earned advanced degrees by the time he was eighteen. When he was introduced to Marie, he was an instructor at the School of Physics and Chemistry in Paris. He found some space for Marie to begin her project by taking her on as a student.

Pierre was in his mid-thirties when he met Marie and had been despairing of ever finding a suitably intelligent companion in life. Marie changed everything.

CHEMISTRY [And not the scientific kind]
Although the chemistry between Marie and Pierre may not have been love at first sight, as time progressed and they worked together, their mutual passion for science created a bond between them. They were not only
Pierre Curie in 1906 kindred spirits, but they matched each other's mind. At first, they saw each other to discuss projects; then it was because they couldn't bear to be apart.

When Pierre proposed marriage to her, Marie didn't accept because she wanted to return to Poland. Pierre countered and said he would move with her to Poland "even if it meant being reduced to teaching French."

Marie did return to Poland [alone] for summer break. She believed she would be able to work in her field at Krakow University, but was turned down because she was a woman. She returned to Paris and married Pierre on July 26, 1895 in a non-religious ceremony. Marie wore a dark blue outfit instead of a bridal gown, and later used that same outfit to work in her laboratory.

With common interests in science and intellectual parity, they both enjoyed long bicycle trips and traveling abroad. It was a happy marriage. On their honeymoon

They had two daughters, Irene (1897) and Eve (1904). Their work continued and, in 1903, Pierre and Marie Curie and Henri Bacquerel won the Nobel Prize for Physics for the joint discovery of radioactivity. She was the first woman to ever win the Nobel Prize. Later she won a second Nobel for the discovery of two elements, radium and polonium. This relieved the family from financial hardship.

TRAGEDY
All great love stories seem to involve a tragedy at some point.

Marie and Pierre's love story ended in April 1906, when Pierre was stuck by a horse-drawn vehicle and fell under its wheels. One of the wheels rolled over his head, causing his skull to fracture and killing him instantly. Marie was devastated by his death and refused the pension the French government offered her.

A month later, the Physics department of the University of Paris decided to offer the Department Chair, which had been created for Pierre, to Marie. She was the first women to become a professor at the University of Paris.

PASSIONS AMONG THE PIPETTES
Four years after Pierre's death, Marie, now 43, became involved with friend Paul Langevin, a married scientist with four children. They rented an apartment where they could meet secretly. Still, rumors circulated. Langevin had been a student of Pierre's and was five years younger than Marie.

Langevin's wife knew he was a womanizer. Apparently the marriage was not a happy one and, it was rumored, she had once hit him over the head with a bottle in an argument over his lack of fidelity. Generally, the woman just accepted it, but for some reason, she was infuriated about Marie. She discovered their hideaway, had someone break in and steal Marie's love letters, which Madam Langevin then threatened to expose to the press.

Whether or not the affair continued, the wife leaked the letters to the press three days before Marie won her second Nobel Prize, and declared she wanted Langevin's children and his money.

The press jumped on the story, painting Marie as a seductress and saying the affair started before Pierre died, which wasn't true at all. Nonetheless, her name was denigrated and the Nobel Committee asked her to stay in France and not come to Sweden. She countered with a statement that discovering two elements had nothing to do with her personal life, and she went anyway.

DUELING FRENCHMEN
Two duels resulted from the public brouhaha. One was fought between by editors of rival newspapers, over the merits of Madam Langevin's charges. They fought with swords, and when one was injured, they called it off and reconciled.

The second duel was between Langevin himself and a journalist who had called him a "boor and coward." Langevin challenged and insisted on pistols, but it came to naught and there was no blood shed. Still the damage was done to Marie's reputation, and the French held her in contempt until WWI when she dedicated her work to develop x-rays for medical purposes.

A COUPLE TO BE ADMIRED
Marie and Pierre are a couple to be admired. According to www.experienceproject.com "They were two geniuses destined for each other. The Curies enabled one another to achieve greatness. They were totally dedicated to their work. They lived with very little and that did them just fine. Their love had a life of its own that gave so much to others. They took nothing for themselves and gave the world its first cancer treatment, its first ex-ray units, and three Nobel Prizes.

In the end, Marie's dedication to work cost her her life. She died of leukemia in 1934, at the age of 67, from the prolonged exposure to radiation.

Resources
https://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xcurie.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-secret-polish-university-for-women-where-marie-curie-got-her-start
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Curie
http://www.openculture.com/2016/07/marie-curie.html
https://history.aip.org/exhibits/curie/scandal1.htm
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-secret-sex-life-of-marie-curie-1586244.html
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/09/marie-curie-once-had-two-duels-fought-over-her-after-an-affair-with-a-married-man/
https://history.aip.org/exhibits/curie/trag1.htm
http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Love-A-Good-Love-Story/1738821
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Co-Da/Curie-Marie.html
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/up-close-and-personal-with-marie-curie/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Curie

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Mums The Word

11/3/2017

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MUMS THE WORD for everyone born in November. The chrysanthemum, your birth flower, is a member of the Aster family, closely related to the daisy. It is also the flower for the 13th wedding anniversary. Most species of this autumn blooming plant originated in East Asia and Northeastern Europe. The name is derived from the Greek words chrysos (gold) and anthenmon or anthemion (flower).

NIP IT IN THE BUD
The Chrysanthemum has been cultivated in China for 3,000 years and Japan for 1,000 years. The first written reference to the flower was as early as 1500 BC. The blossoms were used to brew a rejuvenating tea and making incense. The petals were also used as an all purpose treatment for everything including hypertension and the common cold.

The original varieties were yellow, but now there are over a hundred varieties in 13 classes based on the form of the flower, and almost every color. http://www.mums.org/chrysanthemum-classes/

Examples of the many kinds and colors of chrysanthemums

Mums are simple to grow and can be started from cuttings. However, they require more than 11 to 12 hours of darkness per night to produce flowers and need their new shoots pinched back in order for them to develop bushy forms. That's the origin of the saying "Nipping in the bud".

LEGENDS
Chinese Legend - How Chrysanthemums Got To Japan
The Chinese legend references an emperor (about 3,000 years ago) who learned that Dragon-fly Island in the Sunrise Sea (Japan) possessed a magic herb to restore youth, but it could only be collected by young people. He sent a dozen young men and a dozen young women loaded with golden chrysanthemum to barter with the natives of the island for the magical herb.

They endured many hardships but finally arrived at the island, where they found neither the herb nor any inhabitants to barter with. They decided to stay and planted the chrysanthemum as a tie to their homeland. http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/mumsleg.html
I presume the emperor got old and died.

Japanese Legend - How Chrysanthemums Got To Japan
The Japanese see it differently. According to Japanese legend, there were so many gods in heaven that some, including the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, were sent to the earth where the goddess created the gods of the winds, mountains, sea, and others. She died in the process of creating the god of fire.

Izanagi missed her so much that he followed her to the place of Black Night. There Izanagi saw vile sights and was pursued by the Old Hag of Black Night. He escaped back to earth and went at once to the river for purification. As he undressed, his clothes touched the ground and turned into twelve gods. The jewels on the clothes became flowers—iris, lotus, and chrysanthemum. http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/mumsleg.html

Why Chrysanthemums Don't Grow In The City Of Himeji, Japan
There is another Japanese legend about a nobleman in the city of Himeji. He had much wealth and many treasures and trusted only his maid O-kiku (which means chrysanthemum) to clean his treasures.

One day O-kiku found one of her master's ten precious plates was missing. She searched everywhere. When she couldn't find it, she feared she would be blamed so                Ink drawing of Himeji Castle by Scott Moore
and drowned herself in a well. After that, every night her ghost came to count the plates. Her wails and screeching forced the owner to leave the castle. No one wanted to live there because of the ghost. The estate fell into ruins and the people of Himeji, who were glad of the noble's departure, refused to grow chrysanthemums to honor their savior O-kiku.

SYMBOLISM
Human beings love symbolism. It's incredible how many symbols we can come up with for the same object. I believe symbols help us to understand better the world we live in.

In ancient Greece the people wore garlands of chrysanthemums to keep away evil spirits. Wiccans believe the mum is a protective flower that wards the home and keeps away wandering ghosts.

Generally, the chrysanthemum represents happiness, love, longevity and joy. What more could you ask? But be careful, because the symbolism is different depending on the location and color of the bloom.

My Personal Experience
My first son was born in Italy, and my mother-in-law had come from Sicily to Rome to stay with us for a while to help out. About two weeks after he was born, a cousin of mine and his wife came to Rome on their honeymoon. Of course, we invited them for dinner.

When they arrived, they brought a beautiful bouquet of chrysanthemums. Well, being from the US, my reaction was, "What beautiful flowers. Thank you so much."

However, my mother-in-law turned white, then red, but she didn't say a word. She didn't speak English, so I assumed her coolness toward my guests was just an inability to communicate. It wasn't until they left that my husband told me that chrysanthemums are used only for funerals in Italy and giving them to
someone is like saying they want that person to die.

Yikes! I had no idea. It took me about twenty years to work up the courage to tell my cousin. We had a good laugh – after the fact.

Symbolism In Other Countries
Asia - Generally symbolic of Life and Rebirth. However, white is associate the grief and death.

Australia – Typically a Mother's Day Flower because it blooms in May in the Southern hemisphere.

China – Chrysanthemums (菊, ju) are associated with the Ninth Lunar Month and symbolize long life and duration. The colors pink and red mean celebration, good luck and happiness. White, however, means death and ghosts.

Europe – Expressions of sympathy. In France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Croatia, mums are the symbol of death and used only for funerals and on graves.

Japan – A symbol of the sun and of the Emperor. The orderly unfolding of the petals represents perfection. The Japanese hold an annual Festival of Happiness which celebrates the chrysanthemum.

United States – Honor, respect, and honesty; positive and cheerful connotation.
     Receiving a red mum is a symbol of love.
     Receiving a white mum means loyalty and devoted love.
     Receiving a yellow mum is a symbol of neglected love -- I'm not sure if it means the giver or the
     receiver.

It is said that a single petal of this celebrated flower placed at the bottom of a wine glass will encourage a long and healthy life.

THE 14th CLASS OF CHRYSANTHEMUM
Can you guess? You won't find it on the National Chrysanthemum Society list, because it is my own personal designation.

My 14th class is Chrysanthemum Stone, a mineral composed of celestite, calcite, andalusite or feldspar which has been compressed and hardened against a base of black limestone, dolomite, or gypsum over the course of 250 million years. The "flowers" of celestite or calsite grew outward in radical patterns under compression, and appear "chrysanthemum-like" in form.

China is the primary source of these stones, which in the past could be found in streams in only one location of China. Now the stone has been discovered in other places, primarily in China and Japan. They're absolutely beautiful. I find it interesting that the origins of both the stone and the flower are the same location.

Like everything else, they are symbolic and said to bring luck. According to Originstone.com, "...the flowers pattern of the stone represents the burst of energy that is love and joy and abundance. It inspires you to start new paths in life (such as a career or relationship) and bestows lucky opportunities along the way."

Resources
http://www.easternfloral.com/blog/meaning-chrysanthemum-flower/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum
http://www.teleflora.com/meaning-of-flowers/chrysanthemum
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6873840_meaning-mum-flowers.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/113733-types-chrysanthemums.html
http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/mumsleg.html
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/herbalism/fl/Chrysanthemum-Folklore-amp-Magic.htm
http://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/chrysanthemum-stone.html
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/chrysanthemum-stone
http://www.mindat.org/min-8275.html
http://www.exquisitecrystals.com/minerals/chrysanthemum-stone
https://crystal-cure.com/chrysanthemum.html
http://www.mums.org/chrysanthemum-classes/

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