Rose.
In antiquity, when considering the symbolism of the rose in the foreground is the myth of the death of Adonis, the lover of Aphrodite (Venus), from whose blood grew the first red roses. Thanks to this, they became a symbol of love, which turned out to be stronger than death, and revival. In the Roman cult of the dead, the feast of roses, "Rosalia", has been known since the 1st century A.D. and was celebrated between May 11 and July 15, depending on the location.
This custom continues to live in Italy on Sundays on the Trinity (Domenica roses, the domain of the rose). Then the participants of the festivities in honour of the god of winemaking Dionysus decorated themselves with rose wreaths, as it was dominated by the opinion that the rose acts coolly on the heat of wine and does not allow drunken people to show off secrets. Thanks to this, the rose has also become a symbol of secrecy, and roses with five petals were readily used to decorate chairs for confessions.
In Christian symbolism, the red rose was a symbol of the bloodshed by the crucified Christ, and in connection with this heavenly love, referred to as "rosa candida", "Candidate rose" in Dante's "Divine Comedy".
The courtly poetry of the troubadours, on the contrary, saw in the rose an accessible symbol of earthly love, and still, the rose continues to live as a symbol of love. The white rose, on the other hand, is a symbol of death in many tales and legends.
Church iconography has made the rose as a "queen of flowers" a symbol of Mary, the queen of heaven, and integrity; in the Middle Ages, rose wreaths were allowed to be worn only by virgins, Madonna was readily depicted among the "hedge of roses. Symbol of the Rosenkreutzer.
In alchemy, red and white roses are the symbol of the double system of white/red, both the primary principles of sulfur and mercury, and a rose with seven rings of petals indicates seven metals and their equivalents in the form of planets.
The combination of the cross and the rose leads to the symbol of the Rosenkreutzer, a Christian-English esoteric union in the Renaissance, which was understood as a "college of the wise. The symbol of the Rosencrackers is a five-petal rose in the cross, like the personal seal of Martin Luther, depicting a cross growing from the heart inside the five-petal flower of the rose. The coat of arms of Johann Valentina Andre (1586-1654), whose works gave the light the idea of a legendary union, was the Andreevsky Cross with four roses at the corners.
The symbolism of freemasons pays much attention to the rose. During the burial of his brother in the Order in his grave, three roses were placed. "Three roses of John" were interpreted as "light, love, life"; on Ivanov's day the bed was decorated with roses of three flowers (June 24) and the names of some Masonic lodges indicate this ("Three roses" in Hamburg - the bed, which was adopted by GE Lessing).
In traditional Chinese symbolism, the rose played a much smaller role than in the western one. It means "youth", but is not a symbol of love.
In heraldic symbolism, the rose is known in a highly stylized form (as a lily) most often in the form of a flower with a view from above with curved leaves, and not with five petals, but with six or even eight red (less often) silver or gold. The most famous examples of roses in coats of arms are the coats of arms in English heraldry, namely the aristocratic genera of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose). The Tudor Rose combines both colours. The city coat of arms of Southampton has two white roses and one red one. In Germany, there were roses in the coats of arms of the princes Lippe and von Altenburg and later in the coats of arms of the cities of Lemgo and Lippstadt.
The carnation is a flower; it is known about 300 species in different forms, previously called "carnations", apparently due to the shape of the flowers. Therefore, the carnation was a symbolic plant of Christ's suffering.
Carmina-red cloves, or Cartesian carnations, often accompany the images of Madonna and her child. In the Renaissance representations of engagement, the carnation symbolizes the pledge of love in Renaissance paintings.
In France of the New Age, red carnations were a symbolic flower of royalists, later a symbol of social democracy (especially on Labor Day, May 1). Members of the Christian-Democratic Union, on the other hand, wore white carnations. On Turkish and Caucasian carpets, carnations appear as a symbol of happiness.
The violet is a small, strong-smelling flower that is said to teach "modesty" as it is a popular symbol of spring, despite its small size. According to the Greek myth, crocuses, roses, hyacinths and violets grew in the meadow where Hades stole Persephone from. On the day of remembrance of the dead, the Romans decorated the tombs with these flowers. At the dinners, they willingly wore violet wreaths, as these flowers were supposed to be "cooling". They were also attributed to a soothing effect on severe headaches. The old folk belief recommended swallowing the first three violets found at the edge of the forest as a prophylactic remedy for all diseases. The blue colour of the violet, which was associated with fidelity and permanence, made it a valuable gift of love. In the Middle Ages, the discovery of the first violet was the occasion for lush spring festivities and open-air dancing.
To be continued in the next part.