Why the Red Rose Symbolises Love
When you think of love and romance, the image of red roses comes to mind at some point. There is a long history between the feelings of love and the symbolism of red roses, and if you are a fan of flowers, learning how these links came about can be good fun. So we wanted to share some of the many ways that the red roses have been connected with love and why so many florists are inundated with requests for these vibrant flowers when Valentine’s Day rolls round.
It makes sense to go way back to ancient Greece. As with many Greek stories, the link between roses and Eros is somewhat of a tragedy. When the goddess of flowers came across a lifeless nymph, she transformed it into a beautiful flower. When goddess Aphrodite saw this flower, she named it Rose in honour of Eros, the god of love, which forged the first connection between love and roses.
Another Greek myth also connects love and roses when Aphrodite uncovered a plot to kill Adonis - her mortal lover. She is told to have run through rose bushes to save him. When the thorns cut her, she bled on the roses, turning them bright red.
This is part of the reason why red roses, in particular, are associated with love and passion. Alongside these myths is the fact that red is the colour of blood and the heart, which has long been considered the organ of love. But aside from mythical stories, what other cultural traditions helped tie together red roses and love and led to them being the flower delivery of choice for all things romance?
Well, that partly comes down to the Romans. Married couples in ancient Rome could be credited with the use of red roses in the practical romantic context. According to historians, newly married couples would wear crowns of rose thorns on their wedding day, rose petals would be spread across their bed on the wedding night and exchange roses as part of the courtship. It is a tradition very much still alive today. As a result, roses quickly gained a reputation as being linked with romance, love, and desire.
Roses and love have been such a close match for so long that they show up in the romantic context in almost all periods of western history. Even Shakespeare referred to roses in his works, with the most famous being in Romeo and Juliet, which further explains how roses have evolved to be the flower of love in our culture. And it is not just western culture either, other religions and traditions also view the red rose as a symbol of love, such as Hindus.
This tradition has been continued throughout our pop culture. If there is a movie about love, then you will see someone send flowers and those flowers will probably be red roses. It is such a powerful symbol of love that we have even decided that different numbers of roses mean different things in a romantic context. One rose means ‘be mine’ while a dozen suggest ‘undying love’. If you are thinking about sending a bouquet of roses, it is definitely worth asking a florist how many to include, as you want to make sure you send the right message with your flowers by post.