What comes to mind when you think of Valentine’s Day? Is it a beautiful bouquet of flowers next to a heart-shaped box of chocolates? Of course, it is! Without either of those items, you’re missing out on the best parts of the holiday–love and affection are nice, too.
Giving chocolate makes sense, right? Candies and treats are associated with just about every celebration under the sun. But when and where did flowers come into the picture?
Let’s take a journey to see why we give flowers to our loved ones on Valentine’s Day and talk about other interesting facts about the holiday!
The Strange Origins of Valentine’s Day
We first need to talk about the origins of Valentine’s Day before we get into flowers. The holiday comes from an ancient Roman tradition called Lupercalia, a celebration commemorating the goddess Juno on February 15th.
Unlike the sweet, tender traditions of Valentine’s Day, Lupercalia was a wild Pagan event that included animal sacrifices, running around nude, and a lottery-style system that coupled men and women together–a bit different than our celebrations, huh?
In 494 AD, Pope Gelasius I deemed the Pagan holiday un-Christian and converted it into a celebration of the martyr Saint Valentine. Slowly, by the 14th century, the new holiday became known as a day of love and romance due to the mating season of birds beginning in mid-February. The oldest Valentine’s Day card we know of was from the Duke of Orleans, written in 1415!
The History of Flower Giving
So, what about flowers? Well, during the Victorian Era, the eastern tradition of giving flowers as code for messages spread into the western world, and it’s all thanks to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
While accompanying her husband on a trip through the Ottoman Empire in the early 1700s, she noticed how the people could communicate through various flowers and colors without speaking. It’s believed that the tradition she stumbled on was a game the women played by attaching words that rhymed to flowers and objects.
She began writing letters home to Europe about her discovery, and they were later published after her death. The idea of flower symbolism began to spread and led to the publication of multiple flower dictionaries in France–the French are just so in tune with feelings and beauty.
As Valentine’s Day cards continued becoming more popular in the 18th century, so did gifting beautiful bouquets of symbolic flowers. The tradition is now an integral part of the holiday and a fun way to express love to family, friends, and partners.
What Do Red Roses Symbolize?
The romantic symbolism of red roses comes from way before the creation of Valentine’s Day. In ancient Egypt, the red rose was tied to the goddess Isis, who represented love, fertility, and healing. Similarly, Greek mythology told the story of the red rose being created by Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
Over time, the rose lost its connection to goddesses, but the symbolism of love carried on. So, we can thank ancient Egypt and Greece for inspiring such a beautiful flower to represent Valentine’s Day!
Final Thoughts
Are you seeing Valentine’s Day and the giving of flowers in a whole new light? Traditions have a funny way of morphing over time. But one thing that will always stay the same is the stunning beauty of a single flower. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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