Prepared with UFL flower delivery. In Ukraine people traditionally give an odd number of flowers, and receiving an even number can feel awkward. There is no need to be upset or to blame the giver. Here is where the custom comes from, when nobody counts at all, and what you can do with the bouquet. All our advice for men is in one place — a man’s guide to choosing and giving flowers.
In Slavic tradition an odd number was seen as «alive» and unfinished, a symbol of movement and life, while an even number felt complete. That is why even numbers of flowers are brought to funerals and graves, and 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 flowers are given for celebrations. It is a cultural custom, not a worldwide rule of etiquette.
In Slavic tradition even numbers were associated with completion: a person’s life journey is over, the “pair” is complete. Odd numbers, by contrast, stood for movement and continuation, so they were given to the living. Hence the custom of laying 2, 4 or 6 flowers on a grave and giving 3, 5 or 7 for celebrations.
The distinction still survives in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries. That is why some people take an even bouquet on a birthday as an awkward hint — even if the giver never thought of the superstition.
Priests usually explain that the number of flowers is a folk belief, not a church rule. Christianity does not forbid even bouquets or give numbers any magical meaning. What matters more is the intention behind the gift. So if religious relatives worry, you can point that out calmly.
Browse rose bouquets and flowers in a box with delivery in Kyiv.
If superstition worries you but the bouquet is lovely, there are simple fixes. Add one flower from another bouquet or the garden to make the number odd. Split the arrangement into two vases, or take out one flower and put it in a small bud vase. Or simply remember the giver meant to please you: nobody counts flowers in large bouquets, and the attention matters more than the number.
Better not: two flowers are associated with mourning. Give one or three.
No, count the stems. Three stems of spray roses with a dozen buds count as three flowers.
For large bouquets the number does not matter; 101 is more a tradition of «a round number plus one» than a rule.
In folk tradition even numbers symbolise a completed life, so they are brought for the deceased, while the living receive odd numbers.
Yes. A dozen is the classic romantic bouquet in Europe and the US, and in Ukraine large bouquets of 15–20 stems or more usually aren’t counted.
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
© Kyiv 2026 UFL Flower Shop
Trademark UFL №191476 is used under license of the rights holder.
All rights reserved. Any use of materials without a link to the site is prohibited.
Birthday
Hydrangeas
