Flower power

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Flower power was a slogan used by hippies (aka Flower Children) during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of the non-violence ideology. It is rooted in opposition to the Vietnam War. They burned their draft cards and created a hippy culture. They dressed in flowery clothing and wore flowers in their hair. The expression is said to have been coined by the US poet Allen Ginsberg in 1965. It has since been used in many places when referring to the sixties, including countless films, TV programs and documentaries, and the installer for Israel's chat program ICQ.

The "meeting place" for the Flower Power movement was based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in a club called Paradiso. The hippies chose this club because of the name paradiso, which reminded them of a peaceful place, paradise. Artists such as Yoko Ono have since been performing there on occasional visits. Nowadays it is found next to a Hard Rock Cafe and is a centre of music for all groups of people, including followers of movements such as the Rastafari movement.

Flower Power also included actions by teenagers, such as giving flowers to policemen and putting flowers inside guns and revolvers, as a sign of peace and not war.