Originally posted by marcteng:
Buddha never stiplulated to the followers that they must offer flowers to him or his disciples.
It is a cultural thing. In fact I think offering of flowers has to do with culture and customs than Buddhism.
Buddha never demanded people to offer flowers to him, but it is something that Buddhists ought to do. It is not a cultural thing as offering flowers is a very universal thing -- all cultures have the practise of offering flowers. There is merits in offering Buddhas and enlightened beings. Shakyamuni Buddha himself offered flowers to the previous Buddhas. Other than that, there is significance and meaning in offering various things. You can find out more about that from the net.