Valentine's Day: A History in Flowers

As a holiday recognized by couples and singles throughout the world, Valentine's Day has many different meanings to a variety of people. Valentine’s Day was originally named for Saint Valentine, a Roman Priest who defied Emperor Claudius II's decree that his soldiers could not marry thus making them better solders. Valentine preformed secret marriages, none-the-less, and was imprisoned for his treason. There he is said to have fallen in love with the jailer’s daughter, and he wrote her many love notes signed “Your Valentine”, hence the popular endearment known today.
As far as the actual day picked to celebrate the Valentine's Day Holiday, this has several origins. One explanation is that the Christian Church picked February 14th as a direct jab towards the pagan holiday of Lupercalia which celebrates the welcoming of spring. There was a Fertility Festival and a ritual where all the single woman of the village put their names into a hat and the bachelors of the village had to fish out one name per man. These names would be drawn together for the year in a courting ritual to try and make a love match. These couples, if they worked out, were also said to be more fertile together. The celebration of Lupercalia is what makes flowers an acceptable and cherished gift by many men and women today.
During the season there were many different varieties of flowers to choose from as a compliment to a Valentine's Day love note. Mostly, these include a variety of roses. Roses are an overarching symbol of affection and each color represents a different spectrum and stepping stone in a blossoming relationship. Given as a gift in celebration of a fertile year, both physically and emotionally, the rose connects back to Lupercalia in its different forms of expression. Just as the couples of the Lupercalia love match were getting to know one another during the blooming season, so can modern day couples get to know one another by showing their ever-growing affection through an assortment of rose choices.
This Valentine's Day don't just visit a Hallmark store and grab a trite card, learn from the fertile past and truly celebrate the bond you have with each other. By taking the time to both research and handpick through an assortment of different rose colors and varieties all with special meanings, you will show your loved one the devotion and time honored classiness that Roman's expressed in years past.
Visit the RoseSource.com Rose Gallery to see our wide selection of rose colors and varieties.