Giving Flowers

Giving flowers dates back to the 1700s when Charles II of Sweden introduced the Persian custom of "the language of flowers" to Europe. Books about the meanings of particular flowers were published, and entire conversations could be carried out using only a bouquet of flowers.

The rose has become the traditional Valentine's Day flower. As it has always been a popular flower, the meaning of the red rose is still well known as the flower of passion and love. The red rose is also the favorite flower of Venus, the goddess of love, which helped give the rose its symbolic meaning.

Cupid

He is the winged child whose arrows are shot into the hearts of potential lovers. His victims are supposed to fall deeply in love with someone. In both Greek and Roman mythology Cupid is the son of the goddess of love and is always part of celebration of love and lovers.

The heart

The heart is linked to Valentine's Day because it was once considered the source of all human emotions. The custom of drawing a heart shape is believed to come from early attempts to draw an organ no one had ever seen. The symbol progressed to become known as a sign of love.

Why does an X mean a kiss?

In the Middle Ages, a lot of people couldn't read or write. When they had to sign a document, they would make an X in place of their name. In front of witnesses the signer would kiss the X to show themselves trustworthy. The kiss has since come to be
represented by an X.

It's for the birds:

Lovebirds are often part of Valentine's Day. Found in Africa, these brightly colored birds sit very close together with their mates, earning them their name. Doves are also part of the tradition. They are symbols of love and loyalty because they mate for life. A pair of doves will also share the care of all their babies.

Did you know?

• Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are the biggest holidays for giving flowers.

• One of the earliest Valentine's Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes.

• Mostly men buy the millions of boxes of candy and the millions of bouquets of flowers produced for each Valentine's Day.

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Mothers Day Flowers

As far back as I can remember it has been the tradition to give our mothers some type of flower on mothers day.

Whether it was a bouquet of roses, tulips or a even an African Violet, the gift has always been a flower. Even many years later as an adult the first thing that comes to mind when looking for a gift for mom is a flower.

I guess some traditions are just meant to be. But to really understand the tradition I did a little looking and found this from a press release and thought it might be interesting to others this year while searching for just the right gift for mom.

The observance of Mother's Day in the United States began with the gift of a single flower by Miss Anna Jarvis to all the mothers in a small congregation in Grafton, West Virginia. Miss Jarvis organized this first official Mother's Day service to honor her mother, who had spent more than 20 years teaching Sunday school. President Woodrow Wilson approved a resolution in 1914 officially declaring the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in the United States. Today, there are over 65 countries that celebrate Mother's Day on the same day.

Dont forget your Mother this year on Mothers Day. Keep the tradition going with a gift of flowers, your mom will love you for it!