Chrysanthemums, Oriental lilies, frangipani, ginger blossom – how certain flowers became associated with death, and thus bad luck, in East Asia

• At a time when crude injections with preservatives merely helped slow the decomposition of bodies, heavily scented flowers were used to mask the smell of death
• In Hong Kong, such flowers, being associated with funerals, evoke superstitious responses – a fact new arrivals needed to learn to avoid a social misstep