A red rose: the Victorian symbol of undying love

Today 14 February is St Valentine’s Day, a day when millions of people around the world will receive a gift or a card from a partner to express their undying love, while others receive anonymous flowers and messages from secret admirers. Many people believe that any gift of flowers is romantic, but the red rose became the accepted emblem of love, and the key symbol of Valentine’s Day. But how did a single rose, or a bouquet, especially red ones, become associated with Valentine’s Day?

Some claim it goes back to Greek mythology. One legend says that Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, pricked her finger on the thorn of a white rose, turning it red; while another myth states that when her lover Adonis died, the goddess’ tears turned into red rose petals.

However, it is generally accepted that the tradition of giving red roses to lovers on Valentine’s Day dates back to Victorian England. During this era, gifting red roses became a customary practice, allowing lovers and admirers to convey private messages that, due to the rigid decorum of the Victorian period, were considered too erotically suggestive to express openly.

The sender often used the language of floriography, a coded communication going back thousands of years in which each flower holds symbolic meaning.

Another romantic Valentine’s Day tradition was the ‘puzzle purse’, a love note that was hidden inside a small, intricately folded paper purse concealed in the bouquet.

Thankfully, expressing one’s feeling of love, especially in public, is no longer considered taboo in the UK, and the symbolic red rose is seen as one of the best ways to win the heart of a loved one.

The depth of passion from the giver is conveyed by the shade of red of the rose. Dark red roses are said to demonstrate commitment and a deeper bond than bright red roses. With their velvety soft petals and subtle fragrance, dark red roses are the epitome of romance and passion.

Along with red roses, Cupid, the god of desire, erotic love and affection, has become another of the main symbols of St Valentine’s Day. Since the Middle Ages, St Valentine’s feast day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love, a literary conception of love that emphasised nobility and chivalry.

Some specialists on the subject believe that the romantic aspect of Valentine’s Day can be attributed to the work of the 14th-century literary circle of English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. For whichever reason, this day is widely recognised around the world as a day of love and romance.

However, while many countries follow the Western custom of offering flowers and romantic gestures, others have developed their own, unique, traditions associated with this feast day.

In Japan and South Korea, for example, it is the women who express their affection by offering gifts to their men; while in Italy, the tradition has its roots in a Roman fertility celebration. Today, La Festa degli Innamorati is celebrated in much the same way as in other parts of Europe, although a popular tradition involves writing anonymous love notes.

In Denmark, Valentine’s Day is a relatively new tradition, but Danes give snowdrops instead of red roses; and in Germany, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with Lebkuchenherzen - gingerbread hearts containing love-filled messages.

Many Irish in search of true love make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Valentine in Dublin, which allegedly houses relics of Rome’s original St Valentine gifted to the city in the 19th century by Pope Gregory XVI.

In the Philippines, thousands of couples tie the knot in government-sponsored mass wedding ceremonies on 14 February, making it a significant day for both love and commitment.

Día de San Valentín is celebrated in Spain much like it is in many other parts of the world, with expressions of love and affection exchanged between partners. Of all the traditional festivities in Spain, it is by no means the most important and, as in the UK, is not a national holiday.

There are other regions in Spain where Día de los Enamorados (lovers’ day) is observed as a national holiday, such as in Valencia, where on 9 October, the feast of St Dionysus, it is customary for men to give their sweethearts marzipan wrapped in a silk handkerchief in a tradition known as ‘mocaorà’. Legend dictates that the recipient of this gift is to cherish the handkerchief indefinitely as a symbol of the enduring bond with their partner.

As in other places in the world, single’s day is gaining momentum in Spain. El Día de los Solteros, which celebrates the joys of being single and not in a relationship, takes place the day before Valentine’s Day. Although its origin is uncertain, it is believed to have arisen in response to the increasing commercial attention of Valentine’s Day.