Info about Red Roses
Red roses’ history
Did you know that roses are 35 million years old? So if it is to talk about roses’ history we have to go back in the past almost until the beginning of the world. It seems like roses, the symbol of love, passion and war started with the mankind, maybe a little bit earlier. There are over 150 species of roses all around the world and a great part of that are red (different shades and blossoms). They were first cultivated as garden flowers almost 5000 years ago in ancient China, but a lot of old civilizations discovered and appreciated the wonderful powers of the red roses.
What was so great about the red roses? For the Greeks the red roses represented two of their powerful gods: Bacchus (the god of wine) and Venus (the goddess of love). This is when the idea of associating red roses with love came to life. So red roses became first of all the symbol of the burning passion in the peoples’ heart.
The Egyptians were also using red roses as an oblation to the gods. Red roses were considered sacred flowers and the faros were put in their graves surrounded by red roses. The archeological discoveries around the pyramids revealed the presence of some red fossils that are supposed to be fragments of red roses. So the history reveals again the symbol of love and adoration that was attributed to red roses.
But if we go even further in history we will discover a people and empire that found new attributes for the red roses. The Romans. Beside they ancient symbol of love, this was the first time when red roses became the symbol of war and also celebration. During the triumphal returns from the battles, the blossom of the red roses was used as confetti to celebrate the war and the victory. But this wasn’t all. The Romans discovered that roses are not very beautiful, but they have medicinal purposes also. They made different creams from red roses and also they captured for the first time the fragrance in little bottles of perfumes. This is when the red rose becomes the symbol of beauty and wealth. The red roses became the flowers of the rich classes and only the queens and the wives of the governors had access to the benefits of the red roses.
But the history comes even closer. In the century of Napoleon, French Empress Josephine created the largest rose garden ever seen until then after her divorce from Napoleon. It was consider a way of forgetting but also cultivating her love. Forgetting her love for Napoleon, but cultivating her new love for roses. Red roses had been dedicated a large space in the Empress’s garden.
We can also find the rose in England’s history. The so called “war of the roses” made the rose the symbol of the battle. The English also made it the symbol of reconciliation when the king Tudor Henry VII (the red rose family) married his beloved who was part of the York family (the symbol of the white rose).
As we may see the red rose conquered hearts and came through the history with great stories. Whether you love them or not, red roses can become your best friends when you are in love.