Contrary to the popular belief women created Valentine’s Day in order to have at least one day out of the year where they are guaranteed to be wined and dined, the holiday actually comes to us from the early days of Christianity and ancient Rome.
The history of Valentine’s Day is truly steeped in love as the holiday is believed to stem from a romantic act of rebellion.
Legend has it a priest of the catholic church during third century Rome named Valentine encouraged soldiers not to follow the orders of the Emperor Claudius II.
The emperor decided single men made for better soldiers than those who had wives and families, so the heartless ruler put the kibosh on marriage for young men. Valentine, feeling the decree to be unjust, defied Claudius and started performing marriages for lovers in secret.
When his actions were discovered, the enraged emperor ordered Valentine put to death.
The very first valentine is believed to have been sent between jailed lovers.
A different prisoner named Valentine wrote a love letter to a young girl he fell in love with, possibly his jailor’s daughter. He is said to have signed the letter, “From your Valentine.”
Americans began exchanging valentines in the early 1700s, and by the middle of the 18th century tradition was already seeing people exchanging small tokens of affection in addition to handwritten notes. When ready-made Valentine’s hit the market in the 1900s, no one ever looked back.
Gone were the days of parents staying up half the night laboring over handmade valentines for an army of their child’s classmates — replaced with arguments over which classmates can get which valentine. Good times.
Esther A. Howland is responsible for the first mass produced valentines in America, bringing them to the American consumer in the 1840s. Known as the “Mother of the Valentine” her elaborate cards were made with real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures.
When it comes to Cupid we can all thank the Greeks.
Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology, specifically in the tale of the Greek god Eros. Possibly the son of Aphrodite and Ares, Eros is said to be exceedingly handsome and careless with the emotions of both gods and men. According to legend, Cupid’s arrows are not all about love, only his golden arrows actually incite love while his leaden ones are said to kindle aversion.
Over time, Eros became known as the fat, mischievous baby we see on Valentine’s Day cards and have come to associate with Cupid.
The history of the rose and its association with Valentine’s Day also dates to Greece and Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite believed her tears mixed with the blood of her lover, Adonis, watering the ground where he was attacked by a wild boar, and leaving behind a bush of flaming red roses, making the rose forever synonymous with undying love.
While visiting Turkey in 1716 the wife of the British prime minister to Turkey, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, learned about the Turkish interpretations of floral symbology. When she attempted to bring her newfound cultural knowledge back home to stodgy old England, Montagu’s floral symbology was not as well received as she had hoped.
Clearly a woman ahead of her time because a century later, under the reign of Queen Victoria, books on the language and meaning of flowers began popping up in bookstores across England, quickly gaining in popularity and steam.
By the 19th century, it was standard practice to use floral bouquets to send messages of love to a significant other.
Unquestionably, red roses rule the holiday, rightly standing for love and passion, while on the other hand, a rose with a different name might still smell sweet but its meaning depends on its shade.
Orange roses mean energy and desire, and yellow roses can represent anything from friendship, joy, loyalty, congratulations, to jealousy. If you fall in love at first sight, you’ll want to show it with lavender roses as they indicate wonder and enchantment. Green roses are for growth and abundance, pink for elegance, sweetness, and general affection. Sincerity and gratitude are shown with peach roses. Ivory roses indicate grace and charm and white symbolizes purity and innocence.
Because the day isn’t already fraught with enough pressure — how many roses you give matters too!
· One Rose: signifies love at first sight.
· Two Roses: mutual love and affection.
· Six Roses: indicates a desire to be together.
· Dozen Roses: classically symbolizes deep love.
· Two Dozen Roses: signifies eternal love
For the superstitious among us, roses are tied to many romantic beliefs.
If you are worried about the protection of your loved one in the afterlife, lore suggests planting roses near their grave to ward off any potential bad juju.
A rare sight, white roses seen blooming in Autumn are said to signify early marriage.
Throwing rose leaves or petals into a fire is said to bring good luck, but should a leaf touch the floor, it will bring bad luck.
A simple, at-home-test for choosing between lovers is to take as many rose leaves as you have choices, write the name of your lovers on them and then scatter the leaves over water. The first leaf that sinks is supposed to be your one true love.
To attract love, try placing dried rose petals under your mattress.
On a sad note, superstition says if one holds a rose in their hand and the rose loses its petals, a loved one is soon to die.
Not all roses are created equal.
When it comes to choosing the perfect rose for your love, the harder the rose feels and tighter its petals are, the longer it will last. If a rose is soft and its petals “blown open,” it won’t last long.
The worst offenders of “blowing open” are typically yellow roses — they seriously cannot be trusted, y’all.
When cutting roses, they should be trimmed at a 45-degree angle under water to avoid air embolism.
A quick fix when your flowers outlast the flower food usually provided by your florist with your purchase, is to make homemade by mixing one teaspoon of sugar, two teaspoons of lemon juice with a few drops of bleach per liter of water used.
For those tulip lovers out there dealing with a droopy flower this Valentine’s Day, try adding a penny to the water your tulips are in and watch them soon stand at attention. Copper is considered a fungicide and can kill off the bacteria causing tulips to droop.
One final tip — avoid displaying your flowers near fruit, especially of the citrus variety, as it releases ethylene gas, a substance that can be harmful to your flowers as the fruit ripens.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!