World Tulip Summit Society celebrates tulip as symbol of peace and international friendship
World Tulip Summit Society celebrates tulip as symbol of peace and international friendship
At the 2002 Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Canada, the “Great Tulip Conference of the Royal National Tulip Society” (last held in London in 1897), was revived under the new title of the World Tulip Summit, according to the organization’s website.
The Summit brought together delegates from some of the world’s leading tulip festivals and floral events to celebrate the special history of the tulip and its relationship with mankind over many centuries.
Representatives from seven attending delegate countries signed a declaration agreeing to:
• Promote the tulip as a symbol of friendship and of spring.
• Make use of the tulip as a means to promote international goodwill.
• Encourage and facilitate the celebrations of the tulip every spring.
• Promote and organize our tulip celebrations for the benefit of local residents and tourists.
• Pursue and facilitate the exchange of information and cooperation between our tulip celebrations.
Tulip Summits have been hosted by Canberra, Australia in 2006; Spalding, England in 2008; Skagit Valley, WA, USA in 2010; and Istanbul, Turkey in 2013. The Shinan Tulip Festival in South Korea will host the next Tulip Summit in the fall of 2015.
The World Friendship Tulip, developed by Maveridge International Bulb Co. in the Netherlands, was unveiled in 2012. It is a beautiful yellow tulip — in the flower world, yellow is the symbol of friendship.