The arrival of spring heralds the return of warm weather and beautiful, fragrant flowers. Springtime is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life being born, and of the cycle of life once again starting.
The Tulip was actually originally a wild flower growing in Central Asia. It was first cultivated by the Turks as early as 1000AD. Mania in Turkey struck in the 16th century, at the time of the Ottoman Empire, when the Sultan demanded cultivation of particular blooms for his pleasure. The name 'tulip' came from the Turkish word for turban. Tulips in Turkey continued to remain popular, and in the early 18th century, the 'Age of the Tulips' or 'Tulip Era' began. There were tulip festivals and it was a crime (punishable by exile) to buy or sell tulips outside the capital.
