Why Do We Give Red Roses on Valentine's Day?

Red roses are synonymous with romance, love, and passion. With their vibrant red petals to the thorns on the stems, they have been captivating especially when they are in a bouquet wrapped in shiny paper tied together by a ribbon. It is due to these associations that gifting red roses has become the norm on Valentine’s Day.

History of why we give roses

Giving roses for Valentine’s Day all began in ancient Roman mythology where secret marriages and messages were prominent. It was believed that the first rose appeared during the birth of Aphrodite who is the goddess of love. It is from her blood that roses became red. Hence the rose is an extremely ancient flower that according to this legend has been around during the period of the Gods. 

Why do we send a dozen roses?

It wasn’t until the Victorian era that flowers became prominent gifts of love and passion. This is where a dozen roses came to be as it represented the 12 months within the year and also the 12 Zodiac signs. This number symbolised perfection and completeness. 

Due to the popularity and demand for roses during Valentine’s Day, there are now more options than ever when gifting roses. 

Send roses with Interflora this Valentine’s Day

There is the traditional bouquet such as our ‘Mon Amour’ bouquet of roses where the roses are arranged with their stems and leaves and wrapped with green paper and tied together with a ribbon. 

A more modern interpretation of rose gifting is our ‘Romantic Roses’ which contains a dozen red roses that are presented neatly within a box and tied together by a ribbon. This creates elegance and luxury as the unboxing experience enhances the presentation of the roses. Pink and yellow roses are also available.

For roses that can be displayed, we have our ‘Eternal Roses’ arrangement which features a dozen roses arranged within a glass vase. This makes the perfect gift as the roses are ready to be displayed and can last longer than it would within a bouquet. 

Let us know how you will gift your red roses this Valentine’s Day by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram using the #InterfloraAU hashtag.