ROSES IN HISTORY
Most people believe that roses were first cultivated around the Caspian Sea or Gulf of Persia millions of years ago. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified roses with love and passion beginning with their association with the goddesses Aphrodite, Isis and Venus. Cleopatra is said to have received Marc Anthony in a room filled literally knee-deep with roses.
May birth flower is the lily of the valley. According to ancient mythology, the May birthday flower was under the protection of the son of the goddess Maia. For the Greeks this was Hermes and for the Romans it was Mercury. Another legend tells of a lily of the valley who fell in love with a nightingale’s singing, and only bloomed when the bird returned to the woods in May. The lily of the valley is mentioned 15 times in the Bible. Over the centuries, the lily of the valley has developed many meanings. The fragrant white flowers are often associated with traditional feminine values such as motherhood, purity, chastity and sweetness.
Interest in floriography soared in Victorian England and in the United States during the 19th century. Gifts of blooms, plants, and specific floral arrangements were used to send a coded message to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society.
Floriography (the language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. The meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Plants and flowers are used as symbols in the Hebrew Bible, particularly of love and lovers in the Song of Songs, as an emblem for the Israelite people and for the coming Messiah. In Western culture, William Shakespeare ascribed emblematic meanings to flowers, especially in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.