Why We Give Flowers; Especially Roses

The tradition of giving flowers as a gift probably dates back further than anyone could ever know. Whether it be for a funeral, a wedding, a birthday, or any other holiday, the giving of flowers has been a long standing formality. One would be hard-pressed to pass up a holiday such as an anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or Mother’s Day without purchasing some sort of flower for their loved one. While this habit is still ongoing today, the actual reasons and meanings of different flowers and flower colors have changed over the years. Today we usually choose a flower or floral arrangement based on how appealing the colors and shapes are, without any regard to any past meanings the flowers may have once held. This has not always been so.

In more ancient times, the colors and kinds of flowers played a significant role in the message the deliverer was trying to convey. A red rose was always a sign of love, and the deeper the red, the more devoted the love. While in most cases the giving of flowers was symbolic of ones love, devotion, or endearment, in some cases the meaning was somewhat more nefarious.

A classic example is when a woman would leave a bouquet of begonias and monkshood on her entryway table. The begonias signified caution, and the monkshood was a symbol that represented a deadly foe. Thus, if a would be lover encountered these flowers, he knew that the woman’s husband was at home, and was advised not to visit; at least not that day.

The use of flowers to convey a meaning was not always representative of immoral intentions. In days gone by, especially during the age of Victoria, it was considered incomprehensible that a widow would not remarry in a timely manner so as to secure a fortune and livelihood for herself and her children. It was not uncommon for elderly bachelors or widowers to make their availability known to the grieving widow, and these actions were not seen as uncomely or presumptuous in their manner. So the widow, in an effort to show she was not through grieving for her late husband, and not wanting to offend any potential suitors, would don a small bouquet of zinnias to show that they must wait a little while longer.

While the exact start to the tradition of giving roses on Valentine’s Day is not clearly remembered, there are several stories, most of them probably myths, as to why we give a bouquet of red roses to that beautiful girl in our life. Probably the most popular, at least most told story, is that of the priest whose name just happened to be Valentine.

The story goes something like this. The Emperor Claudius III had outlawed marriage in an effort to get more young men to join his army. With no wife or children left behind to think about, Claudius figured he would be able to recruit more, and less distracted soldiers. The priest, though, believed in love and marriage and was secretly marrying the young men and women in the kingdom.

In time, the emperor found out about the disobedient priest and had him sentenced to death. While languishing in the prison awaiting his execution, the priest fell in love with the daughter of the jailer. The love was to be short-lived as his execution date was quickly approaching. On the day he was to be beheaded, the young priest gave the young woman a note, accompanied by a single red rose, which was an expression of his undying love. Even if his physical body could not live forever, his love would live on in the beauty of the rose.

While there is no way to know the true reasons we give flowers, especially red roses, there is no doubt there is no better form of expression for our love than flowers. Roses tend to signify love, and red is a symbol of love, especially sacrificial love; and there is no greater love that can be shown that that of a love that is sacrificial. That is why we give flowers today.