Calla Lily Meaning: Beauty, Rebirth and a Flower for Weddings and Farewells

Calla lilies mean beauty, purity and rebirth. The name is usually traced to the Greek kallos, beauty, and the flower's clean, sculpted shape has made it a favourite for the two most formal moments in life: weddings and funerals. White callas also appear at Easter as a symbol of resurrection.

Despite the name, the calla isn't a true lily. It belongs to the arum family (Araceae), and what looks like a single petal is a spathe wrapped around a central spike. True lilies carry their own meanings, covered in our lily flower meaning post. For the flower itself, see the calla lily guide.

What calla lilies symbolize

The meanings most often given to calla lilies:

• Magnificent beauty: the oldest meaning, from the Greek name and the flower's simple, elegant form.
• Purity and holiness: white callas have long been linked with the Virgin Mary in Christian art.
• Rebirth and resurrection: callas flower in spring, and white ones are an Easter flower in many churches.
• Faithfulness and new beginnings: the reason callas are a classic bridal flower.
• Sympathy and remembrance: the same calm, white form makes them a dignified funeral flower.
• The sixth anniversary: callas are often listed as the flower for a sixth wedding anniversary.

Calla lily colour meanings

Callas now come in a wide range of colours, and each has picked up its own meaning:

• White: purity, innocence and sympathy. The wedding and funeral colour.
• Pink: admiration, appreciation and gentle romance.
• Purple: royalty, passion and charm. Deep purple callas are a dramatic choice for an anniversary.
• Yellow: joy, gratitude and growth.
• Orange and red: enthusiasm, passion and energy.
• Near-black: mystery and elegance. Very dark purple varieties are popular for modern weddings.

Calla lilies at weddings

A sheaf of long-stemmed white callas carried over the arm was a fashionable bridal bouquet in the early twentieth century, and callas have never really left wedding work since. They suit a minimalist look, hold their shape out of water better than many flowers, and come in miniature forms for boutonnieres and bridesmaids' posies.

Their meaning suits the day too: beauty, faithfulness and a new beginning. If you're planning wedding flowers, our wedding bouquet flowers guide covers how callas compare with roses, peonies and orchids.

Calla lilies at funerals

The same qualities make white callas one of the most dignified sympathy flowers. In a casket spray or standing arrangement they read as calm and serene rather than sad, and their link with resurrection gives them a hopeful note at a Christian service. Designs such as the At Peace Arrangement and Stately Lilies use callas alongside other lilies.

For the wider choice of what to send, see what kind of flowers to send for a funeral or browse our funeral and sympathy flowers.

Calla lilies at Easter

White callas share the Easter altar with the trumpet-shaped Easter lily, and for the same reason: a pure white flower that opens in spring stands for the Resurrection. In parts of Europe the white calla is still called the arum lily or Easter lily, and churches use it in spring displays and memorial flowers alike.

If you're sending Easter flowers to a family that keeps the tradition, a white calla or lily arrangement carries that meaning without needing a card to explain it. Our Easter flowers post covers the other spring choices, from tulips to daffodils, and the order-by dates around the long weekend.

Callas in art

Calla lilies became a favourite of twentieth-century artists. Georgia O'Keeffe painted them repeatedly in the 1920s, and Diego Rivera returned to them again and again, most famously in paintings of flower vendors carrying armfuls of white callas. Their bold, simple outline suited modern art, and those paintings did a lot to make callas the chic, modern flower they still are.

That modern look is part of their meaning today: a calla says elegance and restraint, where a bunch of roses or carnations says warmth and abundance.

Sending calla lilies

Callas last about seven to ten days in a vase and need little more than clean, shallow water; our calla lily care post covers cut stems and potted plants. One caution: calla lilies are toxic to cats and dogs, causing mouth irritation, drooling and vomiting if chewed, so choose something else for a home with curious pets.

For an everyday gift, a mixed design such as Nature's Bounty Bouquet brings the calla's elegance into a softer arrangement. Every order is made by a local florist and delivered anywhere in Canada for a flat $19.99, with same-day delivery when you order by 1:00 PM in the recipient's time zone, Monday to Saturday. Because florists work with what's fresh, they may substitute a similar flower of equal value if callas are short that day.