Give The Gift Of A Prosperous New Year With Santa Lucia Flowers
Everyone likes receiving flowers, right? Whether as an expression of love, condolences, friendship, or appreciation, flowers are as powerful a gift as they are pretty. Whereas many people have a particular flower they prefer to receive above all others, at New Year’s time in Costa Rica Santa Lucia flowers are always the top choice.
Pastel purplish-blue little bursts reminiscent of tiny exploding fireworks, Santa Lucia flowers bloom in the winter months, just in time for Christmas and New Year’s. Their beauty and bloom cycle in part explain their popularity during the Holiday Season.
The bigger deal with these special flowers in Costa Rica, though, is that they also bring wealth.
According to local tradition, anyone receiving Santa Lucia flowers as a gift during the New Year’s holiday period is ensured prosperity for the year to come. To make sure the magic sticks, recipients often place a dried Santa Lucia flower in their wallets or purses. This is supposed to keep the money flowing all year long.
Note: You can’t just pick or buy your own Santa Lucia flowers and expect them to work. Someone has to actually gift the flowers to you.
Here’s hoping you have a special friend in Costa Rica (Maybe this guy?) willing to drop a few blooms in the mail for you in time for the next Big Ball Drop.
*Photo credit: Flickr user Anita Gould.
