This weekend, on the last game of the season, FC Flora won their 15th Estonian Meistriliiga (Estonian football league) title. Named after the Roman goddess of flowers and spring (known as Chloris to the Greeks), FC Flora are the most successful club in Estonia. To celebrate, lets learn a bit more about the goddess Flora.

Flora is the name of the Roman goddess of flowers, gardens, springtime and the flowering of plants. She is also associated with fertility, youth and renewal. Her Greek counterpart is Chloris, a nymph who was transformed into a goddess by Zephyr, the god of the west wind. Their story is told in the video below:

Flora’s Role and Attributes

Flora was one of the minor deities in Roman mythology, but she had a significant role in the agricultural and religious life of the Romans. She was invoked to protect the crops and the gardens, and to ensure a bountiful harvest. She was also honored as the patroness of florists, gardeners and perfumers.

Flora was depicted as a beautiful young woman, wearing a floral wreath or a garland of flowers. She often carried a cornucopia, a symbol of abundance, or a basket of flowers. Sometimes, she was accompanied by her husband Zephyr, her son Carpus (the god of fruit), or other deities related to nature, such as Flora’s sisters, the Horae (the goddesses of the seasons).

Flora’s Festivals and Temples

Flora had two main festivals in her honor: the Floralia and the Rosalia. The Floralia was celebrated from April 28 to May 3, and it marked the beginning of the spring and the flowering season. The festival was a time of joy, merriment and sensuality, featuring games, theatrical performances, dances, races and sacrifices. The participants wore colorful clothes and adorned themselves with flowers. The Floralia was also associated with the worship of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and Maia, the goddess of growth.

The Rosalia, the Roman Floral Festival for the Dead, dedicated to the memory of the dead, was a more solemn occasion. Celebrated on May 23, the Romans would visit the tombs of their ancestors and offer them roses, as a symbol of eternal life and resurrection. The Rosalia was also a way of honoring Flora, who could grant the dead a peaceful and fragrant afterlife in the Elysian Fields.

Flora had a temple near the Circus Maximus in Rome, which was built in 238 BCE, following a prophecy from the Sibylline Books. The temple was the site of the annual sacrifice of a pregnant sow to Flora, as a gesture of gratitude and fertility. Flora also had other shrines and altars throughout Italy, especially in places where flowers and plants were abundant.

Flora’s Legacy and Influence

Flora was a popular and beloved goddess among the Romans, who appreciated her gifts of nature and beauty. She was also a source of inspiration for many poets, artists and writers, who praised her in their works. For example, Ovid devoted a section of his Metamorphoses to Flora, telling the story of her transformation from Chloris to Flora, and describing her role in the creation of many flowers and plants.

Flora’s name and attributes have also survived in modern culture, as she is still associated with flowers and spring. The word “flora” refers to the plant life of a particular region or period, and the term “floral” describes something that is decorated with flowers or has a floral scent. Flora is also the name of a genus of plants, a brand of margarine, and a character in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Flora is also one of the three Graces in Botticelli’s famous painting Primavera, which depicts the arrival of spring and the triumph of love.

To learn more about the club FC Flora, you can visit the official FC Flora website. The video below is of their last game of the season and shows them celebrating the championship after it. Below that is a video of a ballet named after Flora.