Good morning, Nancy. Grey and expecting rain here, too. It is much cooler today as well. :(

So, we need to discover the origin of the word "tulip"? Hmm, trying to think in Latin, French, and German and connect to Turkish and Persian history. Not being very successful. Maybe two cups of tea is not enough. ;)

I will be back for clues!

Cynthia

Well I knew where they originally came from but not how they got their name :(. Clues, yep need clues on this one.

Annette

{{gwi:599400}}
A tulip field in Holland. Holland is the world's main producer of commercially sold tulip plants, producing as many as 3 billion bulbs annually, the majority for export.

Although tulips are often associated with the Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the flower began in the Ottoman Empire. The tulip, or lale (from Persian ÃÂçÃÂÃÂ, laleh) as it is also called in Iran and Turkey, is a flower indigenous to a vast area encompassing arid parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The word tulip, which earlier appeared in English in forms such as tulipa or tulipant, entered the language by way of French tulipe and its obsolete form tulipan or by way of Modern Latin tulëpa. By WHY did they use that word??

Nancy.

lol. The Persian characters looked much better in preview!

The modern Latin tulëpa, from Ottoman Turkish tulbend ("muslin" or "gauze"), is ultimately derived from Persian dulband ("round").

Hmmmm......is that helping?

Nancy.

You say it is Latin and Turkish but it is all Greek to me.
Interesting history. If I had known that Dutch royalty found refuge in Canada during WWII I had forgotten. At one time I knew more about WWII than I do now.

Cool but sunny here today. We've had a very warm week of rain and clouds, mostly clouds and not enough rain.

You've got me thinking a type of headwear or am I veering off in the wrong direction.

Annette

Headgear? hmmmm...trying to picture those paintings of the Ottomans (is that right? Not sure, but you get my meaning). Not helmets, was it? I don't think so.

BTW, loved the history lesson!

Cynthia

- at least as far I can see!! And not enough rain here, either. Annette and Cyn, you are 'veering' in the correct direction!!

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Canadian Tulip Festival

I'm enjoying watching you all thinking. If the answer becomes super-obvious I may be able to jump in yet.

TM

TM - take the meanings of the Persian and Turkish words and .....

Nancy.

I'm thinking the type of headwear glamor gals like Lana Turner wore in the 40's. With these they didn't have to worry if their hair was perfectly coiffed.

Annette

Hah, Annette. You are so smart. Would not have thought of it without your hint! Pretty cool actually since tulips do have the same shape albeit inverted. Yes, all the glamour girls wore them, but my favorite memory of one is Bob Hope wearing one in "The Road to Morocco" with Hedy Lamarr and Bing Crosby. Very silly. Of course, there are days when I should probably wear one, but I doubt I could carry it off as well.

Cynthia

{{gwi:599403}} - check out the share, TM.

FYI - It is believed the first tulips in the United States were grown near Spring Pond at the Fay Estate in Lynn and Salem, Massachusetts. From 1847 to 1865, a historic land owner named Richard Sullivan Fay, Esq., one of Lynn's wealthiest men, would settle on 500 acres (2.0 km2) located partly in present-day Lynn and partly in present-day Salem. While there, Mr. Fay imported many different trees and plants from all parts of the world and planted them among the meadows of the Fay Estate.

Another interesting link for the tulip is to Calvinism, where the points of the five petals are compared to the 5 points of their doctrine:

{{gwi:599405}}

Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the saints

The more I look, the more interesting stuff I find!!

Nancy - who is awash in cat fur - shedding!!!!

I meant shape, not share!

OK, you're almost there - don't make me sing - If you're goin' to San Francisco, Awwww, heck, Scott does a way better job!! Please listen:

Here is a link that might be useful: If you're goin' to San Franscsico

Greek in that I had no idea what you were talking about.

I think I have it now. The clues lead me to speculate that tulip comes from the headdress due to its shape. Did they also wear flowers in their headdress?

I remember watching old movies and thinking those ladies looked lovely in their wraps. I have a flash of memory of Loretta Young with flowers in hers.

Well, you're not talking right now! The sun came out here, I hope it did in your areas!! Went out and bought cat food. Oh, happy kitties!!

Lest you think the Dutch Royal family might have been lonely, or homesick for Europe - fear not. During the war, the palace(Government House, aka Rideau Hall) became the home in exile of a number of royals displaced by the invasions of their respective countries back in Europe. Among the royal guests were Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha of Norway, Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Luxembourg, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, King George II of Greece, Empress Zita of Austria and her daughters, as well as Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, her daughter, Princess Juliana, and granddaughters, Princesses Beatrix and Margriet(hmmm...thinking of the info in my 1st post - I think Wiki may have some info incorrect - I suspect this post may be closer to the truth). It was thought for a time, after the outbreak of the Second World War, that the King& Queen of Britain and their two daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, would move permanently to Canada for the duration of the conflict in Europe. Hatley Castle in Colwood, British Columbia, was purchased by the King in Right of Canada for this purpose, instead of using Rideau Hall. However, it was decided that the Royal Family leaving the United Kingdom at a time of war would be a major blow to morale, and they remained in Britain. Though the resident governor general's wife, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, could do little to add her personal touch to Rideau Hall, due to rationing and scarce supplies, she put many of the other royal ladies to work making clothing for those who had lost their homes in the Blitz. It was then in 1940 that the governor general's office in the East Block of Parliament Hill(our equivalent of your Capitol has 3 buildings) was closed and moved to Rideau Hall and, in December of the following year, Winston Churchill arrived at the hall, where he presided over British Cabinet meetings via telephone from his bed.

What a guy!!

Nancy.

lol. Bobbie, you slipped in while I was composing. Yes, I knew that Greek meant unknown. ;-))

Nancy.

Nancy, I always forget to check the conversations side of the forum and happened upon it today. And I'm so glad!

I had NO idea about the tulip festival in Canada. That is less than 5 hours from me. I will definitely make a note to go someday, possibly next year (if my DH ever gets a passport!) My mom and I are heading to the Netherlands this year, but after tulip time. I'm very excited to find out that I can get a good dose of them right in my own backyard!

Thanks for all the great information!

Glad you happened upon us, Thyme2dig!! We're here every Saturday & Sunday!! We'd love to have you stop by again!!

Well, no one but Bobbie came back last night came back after Scott sang...perhaps you all rushed out to get your groove on?? lol. Well, Bobbie definitely gets

I think everyone might have gotten it!!

Those crazy Europeans. Always taking things literally!! Most likely commenting on the Turkish tradition of wearing tulips in one's turban, Europeans mistakenly gave tulips their name, which comes from the Persian word meaning turban. So not really the shape, but it helped to get you there, I hope. The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of diversity is in the Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Tien Shan mountains. At one point during the 17th century tulips became so highly-prized that prices were sent soaring and markets crashing. During the Second World War, the Dutch were starving, and ate their precious bulbs. During the Ottoman Empire, the tulip became very popular in Ottoman territories and was seen as a symbol of abundance and indulgence. In fact, the era during which the Ottoman Empire was wealthiest is often called the Tulip era or Lale Devri in Turkish. The meaning of tulips is generally perfect love . Like many flowers, different colors of tulips also often carry their own significance. Red tulips are most strongly associated with true love, while purple symbolizes royalty.

So there you go - the history of the tulip and how it got its name!! Rather fascinating, I think. No word on what the other Royal Families gave as gifts, though hopefully it was art for Rideau Hall, as it was rather dreary in those days. It is much lovelier now, much time and money has been lavished on its furnishings and artwork. There is a tradition of visiting dignitaries planting trees on the extensive grounds.

Thanks for playing. I'll see you next week.

Nancy.

Thanks for the fun question, Nancy. I didn't get it at all, but it was still fun. Before I read this I would have thought that having tulips in your turban was equivalent to having bats in your belfry. I guess we still can't totally rule that out. :)

TM

Oh, those artsy-fartsy types!!

Nancy.

Great question, Nancy. Thanks for the fun.

Cynthia