Every Valentine’s Day, the first flower that all florists run out of are roses. Have you ever wondered why? These flowers are bought in droves by couples hoping to impress their partners, being depicted in Valentine’s Day art everywhere. Now, although the flower does look amazing, and smells even better, the reason for its popularity goes beyond its looks and fragrance. Exchanging a rose with someone usually goes beyond giving someone a pretty flower, it’s a sign of love. These popular roses are widely considered to be a symbol of love and affection, but where did this image of roses originate? As it turns out, these flowers go back farther than you’d think.
The earliest point in history where you can see roses having an influence goes as far back as Ancient Greece, where stories depict how roses were tied to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. An old story says that the rose was made when her lover, Adonis, was wounded by a boar while hunting. The mixture of the blood and her tears led to the birth of the rose. Pretty dark, but it reflects the more solemn nature of Ancient Greek romance, and the beauty through the pain. Going past Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome also had depictions of the Rose, though most of their stories with the rose were completely inspired by the Greek ones, just changed to use Roman gods! However, there was a story of Flora, the goddess of flowers, being struck by Cupid’s arrow, who tried to call for the god Eros, but the pain made her miss the E, and she ended up just saying “Ros”, inspiring the name of the flower.
However, the point in history where the rose truly began to be transformed into the emblem of romance as it is today, is actually at the dawn of the Middle Ages, centuries later. The rose became a metaphor for the woman that a man loved, the radiant beauty of the flower reflecting that of the maiden, the giving of a rose becoming a confession of love to the girl. Along with this, the white rose began to be affiliated with the Virgin Mary, Jesus’s mother, due to its clean, white color reflecting Mary’s purity. Over the years, this concept changed and evolved as literature and movies adapted its meaning more towards what we’re used to today. Pieces as old as Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare using the rose as an emblem of romance, with even the movie Beauty and The Beast having a rose represent how love can happen anywhere and come from anyone.
Along with the meaning of the rose, the color of the roses also have meanings! It’s good to know that red roses represent that love everyone’s familiar with, but pink roses are a more gentle and modest declaration of love. White roses represent purity, while orange and yellow roses can be given as an appreciation for friendship. Another symbol is the number of roses, with one usually representing a very powerful love, and higher numbers being reserved for bigger events like proposals, weddings, etc. Something to note is that an even amount of flowers can go from meaning nothing but goodwill in parts of America and Europe, to bad luck in Asia and other parts, so you may want to be considerate of this when planning on giving roses as a gift.
Roses have symbolized the promise of love between people, and will continue to do so, with this flower solidified in the hearts of many as the “most romantic flower”. So get up and get somebody some time-tested roses, before they all sell out!
