FLOWERS ON VALENTINE’S DAY

“Love, like what they always say, is a flower that is made to bloom by two gardeners.”

Today is Valentine’s Day . . . as expected, flower is one of the famous Valentine gifts that even everyone wanted to receive. It gives color to the day . . . a very earth-shattering day especially to lovers.

What Is the Meaning of Flowers on Valentine’s Day?

HONORING A ROMAN PRIEST AND MARTYR

The 14th of February is widely known around the world as Valentine’s Day. This was originally a feast day that honors St. Valentine–a Roman priest and martyr. It is customary for people to give and receive flowers on Valentine’s Day. The colors and arrangement of these flowers convey different meanings. Flower giving is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to express love and appreciation to loved ones.

BACKGROUND

During the Roman Empire time, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he did not want his soldiers to be emotionally distracted. St. Valentine was a priest who secretly held wedding ceremonies for couples–and was later sentenced to death for violating the law. A legend states that before St. Valentine’s execution, he sent a card with a red rose to his jailer’s daughter. The modern Valentine’s Day celebration practices the tradition introduced in the legend, which is the giving and receiving of gifts such as flowers and cards as expressions of love.

FLORIOGRAPHY

According to Rosefarm, assigning meaning to flowers originated in Persia about 300 years ago. This is called “floriography,” which means flower writing. During those days, sending flowers was the most practical way for lovers to communicate their feelings, because sending love letters was difficult and opportunities for lovers to meet were rare. The tradition flourished in the Victorian era in England. Several dictionaries were created providing the meanings of flowers.

TRADITIONAL SYMBOLISM

The rose is the most popular flower on Valentine’s Day. A red rose symbolizes deep love while pink rose conveys admiration and joy. Yellow roses mean happiness and warmth. White roses symbolize purity and innocence. A bunch of fully bloomed red roses conveys gratitude and deep emotions while a single bud means innocence of love. A tulip signifies perfect love and a bouquet of Peruvian lilies shows devotion.

POSITIVE EMOTIONS

Everything Valentines Day reports that U.S. flower buyers on Valentine’s Day are composed of 73 percent men and 27 percent women. A number of these women send themselves flowers. The study “An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotions: Flowers” written by Jeannete Jones in 2005 explains that receiving flowers initiates positive emotions. The impact doubles if the flowers are received on Valentine’s Day.

CONSIDERATIONS

Giving flowers on Valentine’s Day is not limited to lovers. Flowers may be given to special people like friends and family. In deciding on the type of flowers to give, consider what the recipient appreciates and cares about. For many, the effort and the thought put into the giving of flowers surpasses any traditional flower meaning.

Source: http://bit.ly/xms17d

Other symbols of Valentine’s Day . . . Gifts! Gifts! Gifts!