Editing Syringa (section)

== Symbolism ==
{{See also|Language of flowers}}
Lilacs are often considered to symbolize first love.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Meanings Behind the Most Popular Valentine's Day Flowers |url=https://www.bhg.com/holidays/valentines-day/decorating/romantic-flower-meanings/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Better Homes & Gardens |language=en}}</ref>

In [[Greece]], [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], [[Lebanon]], and [[Cyprus]], the lilac is strongly associated with [[Easter]] time because it flowers around that time; it is consequently called ''paschalia''.

In the poem ''[[When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd]]'', by [[Walt Whitman]], lilacs are a reference to [[Abraham Lincoln]].

The music-hall song by [[Ivor Novello]], ''[[We'll Gather Lilacs]]'', first performed in 1945, speaks of the longing of two lovers to be reunited in a traditional English rural setting. It has since been recorded and performed by numerous artists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ruthstrangeway |date=2021-01-06 |title=We'll Gather Lilacs In The Spring Again |url=https://ruthstrangeway.com/2021/01/06/well-gather-lilacs-in-the-spring-again/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Ruth Strangeway - Singer |language=en}}</ref>

''Syringa vulgaris'' is the [[list of U.S. state flowers|state flower]] of [[New Hampshire]], because it "is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019|title=New Hampshire Almanac: State Flower and State Wildflower |url=https://www.nh.gov/almanac/flower.htm |access-date=22 December 2020 |website=nh.gov}}</ref>