Meaning Of Pink Roses
The Meaning of Pink Roses Goes Back Many Centuries
Pink roses have been around as long as human beings, so there are many different ideas as to the meaning of pink roses. They are depicted in many of the earliest forms of art and so have a distinct cultural meaning. The very first cultivated roses were pink and pink roses had existed in the wild long before then.
The meaning of pink roses was originally love and gratitude and those are still emotions that they symbolize. The fact that only pink roses existed meant that if you were to give your lover a rose, red was not a choice, at least not in the beginning. So the pink rose began as a symbol of love. As hybrid roses began to appear with new and different colors, the meaning of pink roses changed somewhat but not entirely.
With the red rose taking over as the symbol of romantic love and desire, pink roses began to mean more of a friendship and family kind of love. Eventually different shades of pink roses began to have different meanings. Roses that are dark pink are now truly an expression of thankfulness, gratitude and appreciation. If you want to say thank you, send the darker pink roses. Light pink roses can be an expression of sympathy. They can also send a message of admiration.
Because so many Old Garden Roses are pink, overall the pink rose is still an expression of the basic meaning of any rose, which is elegance, grace and romanticism. Pink roses have never decreased dramatically in popularity even with the advent of practically every color rose under the sun. Pink roses are still a representation of beauty, and the history of every rose can be traced back to the pink rose. Pink roses were something to look forward to, to hope for, as originally they only bloomed once a year.
In religious symbolism, one meaning of pink roses is heaven. There is also a story that is told about Mary, the mother of Jesus, that puts the pink rose as the absolute symbol of the love of a mother and rebirth. It is said that when Mary watched Jesus carrying his cross to Calvary to be crucified, she cried and a tear hit the ground. After Jesus was crucified and they were returning the same way, the spot where Mary’s tear had hit the ground grew a lovely, pink rose.
It is these kinds of stories that have given the pink rose the symbolism of hope and happiness. Anyone given a bouquet of pink roses is sure to feel happy and hopeful. Pink roses are strongly associated with positive sentiments. Today the red rose has passed the pink rose in popularity, at least as far as sent flowers go. The red rose with its romantic symbolism is by far the most popular rose on Valentine’s Day, when so many flowers are sent. Still, pink roses are going strong and will forever be one of the most appreciated roses of all time.