May Day

There are special days celebrated for fathers, mothers, children, and also animals. Similarly, there is a special day dedicated for workers. Known as International Workers’ Day, or more commonly as May Day, this day is celebrated on the 1st of May every year. In 80 odd countries this is a national holiday, whereas, in several other nations it is celebrated unofficially. As the story goes, in the year 1886, police were trying their best to control a crowd of workers in Haymarket, Chicago. All of a sudden an unidentified person threw a bomb at the police. This infuriated the police and they answered by opening fire on the crowd. This killed a large number of demonstrators as well as the policemen. This incident is also known as the Haymarket affair of Chicago.

After five years, in the year 1891, during the anniversary of the incident of Chicago, May Day was formally announced to be celebrated every year. This was decided at the International Second Congress, the 20-country delegation that met in Paris. Some of the countries, where this day is celebrated for labors, are:

·         Argentina: In this country, where world renowned footballer Pele was born, 1^st of May is an official holiday. Several celebrations for labors take place in many major cities of this country, including demonstrations and peaceful protests.

·         Brazil: All day long events, of various types, are organized in Brazil to celebrate Workers’ Day on the 1^st of May. This is also the day when wages and salaries get readjusted for people in the working class.

·         United States of America: In the US, there have been several failed efforts to officially declare the 1^st of May as the official Labor Day. However, in the year 1921, May 1 was declared as Americanization Day. Later in the year 1949, this day was renamed as Loyalty Day. It became a special day which was celebrated every year.

·         India: In India, the first May Day celebration was officially undertaken in the city of Madras. This was initiated by the Labor Kisan Party of Hindustan in the year 1923. Till this date, the 1^st of May is celebrated as a national public and bank holiday in India.

If you visit several factories and offices in your city, you may find numerous events being organized for their old labors. Some firms even remember some of their past workers on this special day. They have their senior officials say a few words about their old workers and also invite the family members of these workers to these events. Garlands and bouquets with special gifts are given to the next of kin of these old employees. Many companies put up pictures of some of their past workers on May Day. This is a good way to remember the services provided by these workers on this special day meant especially for international laborers.

At Floralis, we salute our workers, irrespective of their designation. They are the driving force behind our successes and each one of them is personally responsible for what we are today. Show your appreciation for those special people who make your job a lot easier every single day with our collection of fresh flowers, bouquets and floral arrangements. Check out our collection of thoughtful gifts and novelties for the occasion and make it memorable for your colleagues and employees.

The taste of Sweat is sweet and for creating a beautiful world it is important to respect people who shed their sweat and an occasion to ‘Say it with flowers’

Earth Day

Environment protection is a high priority: individuals, businesses and governments are taking it more seriously than ever before; and why not? The ozone layer is thinning at an alarming rate resulting in global warming which is the cause of increasing temperatures and melting polar ice caps. Sea levels have risen considerably and threaten to drown the land masses. 

Moreover, many animal species are facing extinction due to unnatural and irregular climatic changes. This is also due to rapid deforestation for commercial purposes. Not only are we reducing nature’s flora and fauna we are also the reason behind uncontrollable pollution in our cities and towns. 

Carbon emissions are way over the safe threshold at India’s metropolitans and if things aren’t checked now, gas masks might be a part of our daily wear very soon. To show solidarity towards fighting for the environment, Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22. 

In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day by a general consensus of the members and since then, this day has come to be known as “the largest secular holiday in the world”, with more than a billion people celebrating it across 192 countries. 

The non-profit Earth Day Network coordinates Earth Day celebrations worldwide and has 22000 members who mobilize, broaden and diversify the environmental movement. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 by 20 million Americans from different stratums of society who are believed to be the original propagators of the environmental efforts. 

Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin is the man behind Earth Day. He was deeply moved by the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill, the largest at that time and the third largest after the 1989 Exxon Valdez and 2010 Deepwater Horizon spills. Also, the anti-war movement by the students inspired him to call for a general environmental forum, which was later christened “Earth Day.” 

The first Earth Day witnessed thousands of educational institutes, colleges and universities unite and organize protests against environment deterioration, polluting power plants, factories, toxic dumps, air pollution, raw sewage, oil spills and pesticides. The trend has gathered momentum over the years with the Earth Day Network leading the way.

A number of global initiatives like a ‘Global Day of Conversation’, a ‘Billion Acts of Green Campaign’, and ‘Artist and Athletes for the Earth’ are in place where the entire society works together for raising environmental awareness. Earth Day Network members are committed to environmental education with policies at the local, national and global levels, events and campaigns and forums aimed at creating a ‘Green Economy.’ 

At Floralis, we are highly sensitive to the environment and use organic and recyclable materials which allow you to leave a smaller carbon footprint. All our products conform to strict environment protocols so that when you buy from us, you know you are doing your bit to save the environment. Come, take a look for yourself!

Floralis turns 3 !!

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up” – three years ago, on April 3 2010, a new brand with an unpretentious tagline “Say it with flowers” opened its first retail outlet in Mani Square, Kolkata. Back then, everyone associated with the brand had a simple yet powerful dream of spreading love across the globe with flowers. And what a dream it has been: from expanding service lines to include corporate gifting and event management to having its own franchise-base in 2012. These and other milestones have shaped Brand Floralis’ journey so far and have helped us to establish ourselves as one of the leading Floral brands in the country as well as internationally.

It takes everyone to move the world forward. Ours was no different. The story of a flower shop distributing happiness one delivery at a time would have remained a fairytale without the Floralis team, the people behind the brand and their relentless hard work. They are a revelation, giving their hearts and souls to make our vision a reality. And most importantly, YOU: the reason why we are there in the first place. Your continued patronage has been a beacon of light, guiding us through all these years. As a token of our appreciation, we are celebrating Foundation Week, from April 1 across all outlets in Kolkata and Bangalore and also here on our virtual store.

We have lined up a string of exciting events for you – participate in Expression Day, Floral Design Workshops and exciting Quizzes/Puzzles. There are a lot of gifts to be won as well as fabulous discounts on our products. Another highlight of the week-long celebrations is the launch of our Loyalty Program. Be there and find out how gifting can be so much more rewarding. Most importantly, we would like to see you in our stores during this period (and also, throughout the year!) as without you the celebrations would mean nothing to us. So, book your dates for a flowery experience as you usher in our Foundation Day with lots of fun and frolic. And don’t forget to bring your loved ones with you.

If, for any reason you are unable to make it to one of our stores, please visit the online flower boutique. There are surprises galore, together with crazy discounts that you can avail when you shop for gifts, starting April 1, 2013.

April Fools Day

April Fools’ Day

April 1 is celebrated as April Fools’ Day in many countries. It’s a day for pulling off pranks and playing practical jokes on friends and family members. Though not a national holiday, children and adults come up with novel ways to trick or fool each other. The idea is not to be the scapegoat and have harmless fun with near and dear ones along the way.
Many believe that April Fools’ Day has its roots in Iran. Iranians play pranks on one another on the 13^th day of the Persian New Year, which falls either on April 1 or April 2 of the Gregorian calendar. This day is known as the Sizdah Bedar, which dates back to 536 B.C. and is considered the oldest prank-tradition still alive in the world today.
However, the earliest recorded correlation between the first day of April and foolishness can be traced in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1392. Chaucer is regarded as the father of English Literature who played a crucial role in establishing English as the vernacular at a time when Latin and French were the two dominant languages in England.
Till the 18^th century, almost every European town celebrated New Year on March 25. In a few areas in France, this was a week-long holiday, which culminated on April 1. But January 1 was common as New Year’s Day for Frenchmen from the middle of the 16^th century. Many writers believe that the day originated because people who celebrated New Year on January 1 poked fun at those who celebrated on other dates.
In Italy, Belgium and France people traditionally attach paper fishes on one another’s back as a practical joke and exclaim “April fish” (in their native language). These kinds of fish are predominantly seen in French April Fools’ Day postcards dating back to late 19^th and early 20^th century.
There are other countries that celebrate the day of foolery on different dates. In Spain, for example, December 28 is considered as the day of pranks. Though it coincides with the Christian tradition of the “Day of the Holy Innocents”, there is no holiday for marking the occasion. In Mexico, once the prank or joke is pulled off, the joker comments “Inocente Para Siempre!” meaning “Innocent Forever!”
Add more fun to your April Fools’ Day celebrations with a large variety of novel gifts and accessories at Floralis. Your online flower store is now offering amazing discounts throughout the week as part of its Foundation Day celebrations. So order today and prepare for another day of joy, laughter and frolic.