In the symbolic meaning attached to the giving of flowers, carnations generally indicate love, fascination, distinction, and wishing a woman good luck. Pink carnations can mean boldness, a happy home life, "I will never forget you," or a woman's love-- Legend has it that as Jesus Christ was carrying his cross, his mother wept, and as her tears hit the ground, the world's first carnations sprang up, and ever since then they've been symbolic of a mother's undying love (Whether the legend has any basis in Christian mythology is unclear, but the flower industry has been quick to capitalize upon it every Mother's Day since 1907, when the pink carnation was chosen as the "official" flower of Mother's Day).