Editing Flower Communion (section)

==History==
The Flower Celebration as it is celebrated today was initiated in Prague on 4 June 1923 by [[Norbert Čapek]], who was also the founder of the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] Church in [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He saw the need to unite the diverse congregants of his church, from varying [[Protestant]], [[Catholic]], and [[Jewish]] backgrounds, without alienating those who had left these traditions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flower Communion |url=https://pluralism.org/flower-communion |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=The Pluralism Project |language=en}}</ref> For this reason he turned to the beauty of nature and had a communion of flowers instead of the [[Eucharist]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phelan |first=Missy |date=2019-06-22 |title=UUs to partake of the flower communion |url=https://pagosasun.com/2019/06/22/uus-to-partake-of-the-flower-communion/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=The Pagosa Springs SUN |language=en-US}}</ref> Though Unitarian Universalists often refer to the ritual as a Flower Ceremony, Festival, or Communion, Čapek's term "Oslava Květin" is more accurately translated as "Flower Celebration", a term which continues to be preferred by Czech Unitarians today.<ref name=Fragile>[http://clf.uua.org/quest/2002-06.html#becelaere "Fragile and Rooted"], by Joan Van Becelaere, ''CLF Quest'', June 2002</ref>

The ritual was brought to the United States in 1940 by the Rev. Maja Čapek, Norbert's wife,<ref name=zottoli /><ref name=Fragile /> with the first flower communion being observed in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Teresa |last2=Schwartz |first2=David |title=The Story of Norbert Čapek's Flower Ceremony {{!}} WorshipWeb |url=https://www.uua.org/worship/words/reading/story-norbert-capeks-flower-ceremony |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=UUA |language=en}}</ref> It was widely adopted by the American Unitarian churches, and their successor Unitarian Universalist congregations.<ref name=zottoli /> 

The ritual was later brought from the United States to Britain by Rev. Eric Shirvell Price.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=A Flower Communion |url=https://www.unitarian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2008_Flowers_WorshipPack.pdf |access-date=4 January 2023 |website=The Unitarians}}</ref>

Earlier Unitarian "Flower Services", documented in Midwestern U.S. Unitarian congregations beginning circa 1880, were somewhat different in form from Čapek's service.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}

[[Image:The collection of our floral unity.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A floral arrangement created for a Flower Communion at a Unitarian Universalist Church for Easter celebrations 2009]]