Know the story of tulips

The Legend of Tulips

When it comes to the Netherlands, everyone will naturally think of tulips. As the national flower of the Netherlands, the tulip is not only a symbol of the Netherlands, but also has earned the Netherlands the reputation of the Kingdom of Flowers. In the Netherlands, there are many historical stories and even legends related to tulips.

Every spring, when the weather gets warmer, flowers are everywhere in the Netherlands, and the reputation of the Kingdom of Flowers is well deserved. This small European country has ushered in the most lively flower viewing season. Keukenhof, located on the outskirts of Leiden, the Netherlands, has already seen a large number of tourists come to enjoy the flowers in early April. Keukenhof has a world-famous tulip field with a large planting area and includes almost all tulip species in the world. People smelled the fragrance of flowers, walked lightly, chatted happily, and enjoyed a unique and wonderful time in the Netherlands.

The origin of tulips

Many people may think that tulips originated in the Netherlands. Not really. Tulips in the Netherlands are actually exotic products. Native to Türkiye in East Asia. In the late 16th century, the Netherlands introduced the first tulips from Türkiye. Later, the Netherlands improved tulip flower seeds and successfully cultivated more than 2,000 tulip varieties. Therefore, we now think that tulips are native to the Netherlands. This is actually because the Dutch have made a huge contribution to the cultivation of tulips.

The romantic legend of tulips

As we all know, roses are a symbol of love, but in the Netherlands, there is also a romantic love legend about tulips. In ancient Europe, there was a beautiful princess living in a castle, and three handsome knights fell in love with her at the same time.

The three knights began to think of ways to woo her and please her. One of them gave her a crown; another gave her a sword; another gave her gold. The princess was very worried and didn't know how to choose. Because the three men were all so good, she had to ask the flower god for help. The flower god turned her into a tulip, the crown into a bud, the sword into a leaf, and the gold into a bulb, all at the same time. Accepting the love of the three knights, Tulip also became the embodiment of love. Since the crown represents extremely noble status, the sword is a symbol of power, and owning gold brings wealth, so in ancient Europe only nobles and celebrities were qualified to plant tulips.

The History of Tulips

Although tulips are just a flower and a plant, who would have thought that such a plant would have an important impact on the history of the Netherlands.

Friends who study economics or are familiar with history must have heard of the "Tulip Bubble" (also known as the "Tulip Effect"). The tulip bubble originated from historical events in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It is known as the earliest recorded speculation in human history. In the 17th century, Dutch tulips once caused extraordinary madness in the flower trading market. The supply of tulip bulbs exceeded demand and prices soared. The Dutch tulip market has become a disorderly gambling pool for speculators.

A true story may more vividly illustrate the atmosphere and people's mood of that era. It is said that a shoemaker in The Hague cultivated a rare "black" tulip on a small plantation. After word spread, a group of growers from Haarlem visited him and persuaded him to sell the flowers to them. Finally, the shoemaker sold his treasure to them at a high price of 1,500 guilders. Unexpectedly, one of the buyers immediately threw the black tulip to the ground and trampled it into a puddle of mud with his feet. The shoemaker was stunned. The buyers explained easily that they had also bred a black tulip and were willing to pay whatever it took to ensure that their flower was unique, even tens of thousands of guilders if necessary.

This week the world's largest and oldest Keukenhof Tulip Park welcomed its first visitors in 2017. The park will be open to visitors from March 23 to May 21, 2017.