Combine luck, legend, romance, gift-giving, flowers and the beginning of the bird mating season and you have Valentine’s Day covered.
Giving a loved one yellow tulips indicate there is sunshine in your smile. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)
Each February, writers and bloggers delight in offering facts and myths about the day’s origins and traditions. Many stories trace it back to ancient Turkey and Rome, with religious origins and some folk legends tossed in.
In the third century AD, a Catholic bishop named Valentine defied a ban on marriage by Roman Emperor Claudius II and continued performing ceremonies in secret. Evidently, the emperor felt that single men made better soldiers. When Claudius found out about Valentine’s defiance, he had the bishop put to death (probably by one of the single guys). Valentine was declared a saint by the church sometime later.
The ancient Romans observed Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival held Feb. 13-15 and dedicated to the Roman god of Agriculture, Faunus. After a full day of animal sacrifices, women placed their names in an urn and had their names drawn by the bachelors. Either the couples ended up in marriage or tried their luck again the following February. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia for its un-Christian-like practices, and renamed Feb. 14 St. Valentine’s Day.
Who can forget the commencement of the bird-mating season in mid-February, first written about by four English authors? The most famous, Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote “Parliament of the Fowls” in honor of the engagement between England’s Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, daughter of the Roman Emperor Charles IV, in 1382. “For this was on Saint Valentine’s day, when every fowl comes there his mate to take … .”
Perhaps the oldest known surviving Valentine’s Day poem was written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the battle of Agincourt between the English and the French. (“I’m already wearied by love, my very sweet Valentine.”) You can see and read in person his affectionate poem in the British Library in London. Today, there are over 145 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged each year worldwide. E-Valentines are gaining in popularity. (Sorry, they’re just not the same as handwritten cards in my book.)
Flowers and plants
Cut flowers, roses and all the various types of bouquets and plants surely are the true measure of one’s feelings toward another, aren’t they? In the early 1700s, Charles II of Sweden introduced floriography — the language of flowers — into European culture where entire sentiments, practically whole conversations, could take place based on the type of flowers that were exchanged. Floriography dictionaries written in the 1800s included symbolic meaning assigned to flower colors, scents and medicinal qualities.
As a gift, orchids communicate delicate beauty, charm and love. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)
Imagine using flowers instead of emojis to represent almost any kind of sentiment you’d like to convey. The red rose takes top billing as the symbol of beauty and love. Pink roses are a close second, signifying appreciation, gratitude and happiness. White roses are associated with marriage, new beginnings and purity. Orange roses are for passion, fascination and enthusiasm, while yellow roses — which once represented greed and jealousy — now offer good health, joy and friendship.
You can’t go wrong sending roses for Valentine’s Day, but other cut flowers, even plants, score meaningful points, too. Primroses say “I can’t live without you,” while orchids communicate delicate beauty, charm and love. Forget-me-nots are synonymous with, well you know. Blue hyacinths suggest constancy of love, while yellow tulips indicate there is sunshine in your smile.
Giving someone basil, the main ingredient in pesto, can mean hatred. (No worries, in other circles basil means well wishes.) (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post)
Flowers and plants can evoke negativity, too. Give someone a lavender plant to say you don’t trust them or you’re devoted to them (your choice). Willows indicate sadness, while a narcissus means you’re selfish or your love is unrequited. Be careful with what you bring to a potluck: Basil, the main ingredient in pesto, can mean hatred. (No worries, in other circles basil means well wishes.)
If you’re concerned about sending the wrong message, Forrest Gump might suggest a box of chocolates.
Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region. Visit her site at gardenpunchlist.blogspot.com for even more gardening tips.
