Valentine's Day Symbols Part 5 - Flowers
By: Tippy & Alfred
Roses
Flowers were considered love tokens before there even was a
St. Valentine. The Roman God, Bacchus (God of Wine and Joy)
and Venus (Goddess of Love and Beauty) were believed to
consider the beauty and fragrance of flowers to be tied with
romance and love. But since the time of Solomon, the primary
flower linked to romance has always been the rose. Cleopatra
of Egypt covered the floor with roses before receiving Mark
Anthony.
A Roman myth is that Cupid was carrying a vase of sweet
nectar to the gods on Mt. Olympus and spilled it on the
ground. From that spot, roses grew! But if roses are so
symbolic of romance and love, then why do they have thorns?
Well, another story goes like this:
The soft west wind named Zephyr one day opened a lovely rose
and Cupid bent over to kiss the elegant petals. When he did,
he was stung by an irate bee hiding inside. Venus got so
angry she told Cupid to shoot some bees and string them up
on one of his arrows. She then planted this string of dead
bees on the rose stems, and the stings became the rose's
thorns and ever since roses have had thorns.
The ancient Romans also believed that anything discussed
under a rose arbor was considered sub rosa and to be kept
secret. The Latin term is still used today to express
something that is to be kept confidential.
Another Roman theory is that the Rose reminded the Roman
Catholic Church of watching Christians devoured by lions.
Later on, the Virgin Mary was called "The Rose of Heaven."
Daisies, Violets and Bachelor Buttons
There are a few other flowers considered to be romantic
also.
The Romans believed that the daisy was once a wood nymph.
One day, while dancing in a field she was seen by Vertumnus,
the God of Spring (who fell in love with her of course). But
when he reached for her she got frightened. The other gods
pitied her and let her sink into the earth to become a
daisy.
Daisies have also traditionally been used to tell the future
of a relationship. The inquirer plucks the daisy's petals
one by one, chanting in turn, "She/he loves me." "She/he
loves me not." Whichever phrase is attached to the final
petal predicts the future of the couple.
As far as Violets go....one day it is said that Venus got
jealous of a group of beautiful maidens. And when Cupid
refused to say that his mother's beauty was more than
theirs, Venus got so angry that she beat the maidens, her
rivals, until they were blue and she watched them shrink
into violets.
In the Science of Botany, the cornflower is known as Kyanus,
named after a Greek youth of mythology who was in a field
one day making garlands of the blue blossoms for the altar
of Flora, Goddess of Flowers. He died before finishing,
leaving some of the garlands undone, and this so touched
Flora's heart that in his honor she named the flowers after
him.
Say It With Flowers...
This is most commonly known as FTD's slogan today.
But what to say and with what flower?
Here are some traditional meanings for some other flowers
often sent for Valentine's Day or other touching moments:
Bleeding Heart = Hopeless, but not heartless.
Gardenia = I love you secretly.
Gladiolus = You pierce my heart.
Lily-of-the-Valley = Let us make up.
Rose - I love you passionately.
Sweet William = You are gallant, suave and perfect.
Violet = I return your love.
Green leaves represented hope in a love affair. This is said
to be the reason why British girls sprinkled bay leaves with
rose water and put them on their pillows on Valentine's Day
Eve. They wanted to see their loved one in their dreams.
Back To:
All About The Holidays
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