The Rose has been prized by all cultures since the beginning of civilisation. In Western myth the rose is believed to symbolise the blood of Adonis whilst in the East it is said to have originated from the blood of Venus. The famous Roman physician Avicenni prescribed Rose for the Roman Emperor and the nobility. The most well known conditions treated were hangover, impotence, nausea and flatulence!
"Roses are one of the most popular romantic symbols around," says Delos Reyes. And the ritual of using roses as a seduction tool has deep roots in history: For Bacchanalian events in ancient Rome, women would anoint themselves with rose oil, tuck roses in their hair, and stuff cushions with the petals to prepare for the festivities. Cleopatra, Queen Of The Nile was famous for her beautiful skin. Her secret was that she soaked in baths of fresh milk scented with honey, lavender, or rose petals. Some sources even suggest that strawberries and raspberries were used on occasion to scent her bath. It is said that Cleopatra's boat was so fragrant with rose petals that Mark Antony smelled the perfume before he saw the vessel itself !
In 220 A.D Athenaeus mentions the strewing of red rose petals eighteen inches deep when Cleopatra first met Mark Antony. Rose, the flower of love and seduction has a smell that instigates feelings of beauty and lust. Hence, on Valentine's Day, February 14th, it is traditional to woo a current or potential lover with red roses, a symbol of both passion and love!
In contrast the early Christians dedicated the rose to the Virgin Mary and Divine Love ie. without sex. Similarly, Islam recognised the Rose as the symbol of transcendent desire ie. fantasy without sex. In Europe in the Middle ages when the monasteries were responsible for providing medical and hospital care roses were a dominant feature in any medicinal herb garden.
Ointments of Rose were used to soothe head tension whilst a medicine made of rose petals and mint leaves was used to treat nervous complaints. In Victorian times, for those who could afford it, Rose was available in everything from reviving smelling salts to pain relieving tinctures for tooth ache.
A single flower...a single color..red rose! This is all it takes to say your deepest feelings to someone. And therefore, Mark Chagall, the artist writes-
And who has ever loved and not quoted these immortal lines from Robert Burns poem-
O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.
"Roses are one of the most popular romantic symbols around," says Delos Reyes. And the ritual of using roses as a seduction tool has deep roots in history: For Bacchanalian events in ancient Rome, women would anoint themselves with rose oil, tuck roses in their hair, and stuff cushions with the petals to prepare for the festivities. Cleopatra, Queen Of The Nile was famous for her beautiful skin. Her secret was that she soaked in baths of fresh milk scented with honey, lavender, or rose petals. Some sources even suggest that strawberries and raspberries were used on occasion to scent her bath. It is said that Cleopatra's boat was so fragrant with rose petals that Mark Antony smelled the perfume before he saw the vessel itself !
In 220 A.D Athenaeus mentions the strewing of red rose petals eighteen inches deep when Cleopatra first met Mark Antony. Rose, the flower of love and seduction has a smell that instigates feelings of beauty and lust. Hence, on Valentine's Day, February 14th, it is traditional to woo a current or potential lover with red roses, a symbol of both passion and love!
In contrast the early Christians dedicated the rose to the Virgin Mary and Divine Love ie. without sex. Similarly, Islam recognised the Rose as the symbol of transcendent desire ie. fantasy without sex. In Europe in the Middle ages when the monasteries were responsible for providing medical and hospital care roses were a dominant feature in any medicinal herb garden.
Ointments of Rose were used to soothe head tension whilst a medicine made of rose petals and mint leaves was used to treat nervous complaints. In Victorian times, for those who could afford it, Rose was available in everything from reviving smelling salts to pain relieving tinctures for tooth ache.
A single flower...a single color..red rose! This is all it takes to say your deepest feelings to someone. And therefore, Mark Chagall, the artist writes-
"In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love."
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
And who has ever loved and not quoted these immortal lines from Robert Burns poem-
O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.
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