Roses and Valentine’s Day

There’s no debate that roses are beautiful flowers, perhaps some of the most beautiful one can find. For many years, bouquets of roses have been a common gift to and from lovers on Valentine’s Day. Ever wonder how roses became associated with Valentine’s Day and love?

There’s no debate that roses are beautiful flowers, perhaps some of the most beautiful one can find. For many years, bouquets of roses have been a common gift to and from lovers on Valentine’s Day. Ever wonder how roses became associated with Valentine’s Day and love?

The origin of roses dates back to ancient legends about love.

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• A Roman myth explains that Flora, goddess of flowers, came across a young woman’s dead body. The goddess was so moved by the death of this young beautiful girl that she transformed the body into a beautiful flower—a white rose. Flora named the flower “rose” after Eros, the god of love.

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• Another Roman legend links the rose to Venus’ birth from the sea. After her birth, the gods created a rose to honor her.

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• A Greek myth connects roses to Aphrodite. When her lover, Adonis, was killed, she rushed to his body, pricking herself on a thorny plant as she ran. Drops of Aphrodite’s blood colored the flowers, turning them to red roses.

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• A Christian myth gives Eve credit for roses. She kissed a white rose, which blushed and changed to red. According to this myth, roses only became thorny following Adam and Eve’s exile from the Garden of Eden.

No matter which legend started it, roses and love have been inseparable for ages. Roses became popular for Valentine’s Day in the 17th century as public interest in the meanings of different flowers blossomed.

Just as there are many types of love, there are different colors of roses symbolic of each. Red roses are most popular on Valentine’s Day, symbolizing true love and romance. Yellow is the preferred rose for a dear friend, symbolizing joy and friendship. Pink evokes gratitude and admiration. White roses are a symbol of innocence, purity or reverence. Orange roses symbolize desire and lilac roses indicate love at first sight. When colors are combined, they can take on even more meanings. Red and white roses in a bouquet symbolize unity. Pink and white represent contentment. Yellow and orange together display passion. As for the dozen? That’s one rose for each month of the year.

No matter the color or size of the arrangement, fresh cut roses are a timeless way to express your sentiments on Valentine’s Day.