Rose (symbolism)

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Hans Simon Holtzbecker: Rosa gallica, gouache, c. 1650 (Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen).
The vivid red, semi-double Rosa gallica was "the ancestor of all the roses of medieval Europe". Johannes Simon Holtzbecher - Rosa gallica - Google Art Project.jpg
Hans Simon Holtzbecker: Rosa gallica, gouache, c.1650 (Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen).
The vivid red, semi-double Rosa gallica was "the ancestor of all the roses of medieval Europe".

Various folk cultures and traditions assign symbolic meaning to the rose, though these are seldom understood in-depth. Examples of deeper meanings lie within the language of flowers, and how a rose may have a different meaning in arrangements. Examples of common meanings of different coloured roses are: true love (red), mystery (blue), innocence or purity (white), death (black), friendship (yellow), and passion (orange).

Contents

In religion

Greco-Roman religion

Venus Verticordia (1868) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, showing the goddess Aphrodite surrounded by red roses Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Venus Verticordia.jpg
Venus Verticordia (1868) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, showing the goddess Aphrodite surrounded by red roses

In ancient Greece, the rose was closely associated with the goddess Aphrodite. [2] [3] In the Iliad , Aphrodite protects the body of Hector using the "immortal oil of the rose" [4] [2] and the archaic Greek lyric poet Ibycus praises a beautiful youth saying that Aphrodite nursed him "among rose blossoms". [5] The second-century AD Greek travel writer Pausanias associates the rose with the story of Adonis [6] Book Eleven of the ancient Roman novel The Golden Ass by Apuleius contains a scene in which the goddess Isis, who is identified with Venus, instructs the main character, Lucius, who has been transformed into a donkey, to eat rose petals from a crown of roses worn by a priest as part of a religious procession in order to regain his humanity. [3]

Christianity

Following the Christianization of the Roman Empire, the rose became identified with the Virgin Mary. [7] [3] The rose symbol eventually led to the creation of the rosary and other devotional prayers in Christianity. [8] [3] Ever since the 1400s, the Franciscans have had a Crown Rosary of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary. [3] In the 1400s and 1500s, the Carthusians promoted the idea of sacred mysteries associated with the rose symbol and rose gardens. [3] Albrecht Dürer's painting The Feast of the Rosary (1506) depicts the Virgin Mary distributing garlands of roses to her worshippers. [3]

Islam and Sufism

The cultivation of geometrical gardens, in which the rose has often held pride of place, has a long history in Iran and surrounding lands. [9] [10] In the lyric ghazal, it is the beauty of the rose that provokes the longing song of the nightingale [11] – an image prominent, for example, in the poems of Hafez. [12]

In turn, the imagery of lover and beloved became a type of the Sufi mystic's quest for divine love, so that Ibn Arabi, for example, aligns the rose with the beloved's blushing cheek on the one hand and, on the other, with the divine names and attributes. [13]

Other well-known examples of rose symbolism in Sufism include:

In Europe

Spain

Selling roses on St George's Day in Catalonia, Spain Santjordi.jpg
Selling roses on St George's Day in Catalonia, Spain

Catalans in the north eastern of Spain have traditionally celebrated Saint George's Day (April 23) – which commemorates Saint George (Sant Jordi), the patron saint of the Catalonia region; as the dia dels enamorats ("lovers' day"), on which lovers exchange blood-red roses. [14]

England

The Tudor rose Tudor Rose.svg
The Tudor rose
The rose as a heraldic symbol: the coat of arms of Ruzomberok in Slovakia. The town's name in literal translation is "Hill of roses". Coat of Arms of Ruzomberok.svg
The rose as a heraldic symbol: the coat of arms of Ružomberok in Slovakia. The town's name in literal translation is "Hill of roses".

The rose is the national flower of England, a usage dating back to the English civil wars of the fifteenth century (later called Wars of the Roses), in which a red rose represented the House of Lancaster, and a white rose represented the House of York. [15] The Tudor dynasty created the Tudor rose, which united both the white and the red roses, a symbolism dramatized by Shakespeare in his play Richard III . [16] [17] The traditional ballad "The Rose of England" (Child 166) recounts the seizure of the crown by Earl of Richmond (who became Henry VII of England, the founder the Tudor dynasty), using the "red rose" as an allegory for Henry. [18]

The England national rugby union team and Rugby Football Union adopted the red rose as their symbol in 1871, and the rose has appeared on players' kit ever since. [19]

The red rose is the symbol for the UK Labour Party.

In North America

United States

In 1986, the rose was adopted as the national floral emblem of the United States. [20] [21]

It is the state flower of five U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Portland, Oregon has counted "City of Roses" among its nicknames (see roses in Portland, Oregon) since 1888, [26] and has held an annual Rose Festival since 1905. [27] The city is also known for its International Rose Test Garden. [26]

Pasadena, California  – also nicknamed the "City of Roses" – has held the annual Tournament of Roses Parade since 1890, and 1902 the Parade has been held in conjunction with the Rose Bowl Game (which is now played at the city's Rose Bowl stadium, built in 1922). [28] [29]

In April 2011, the U.S. government's space program agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), celebrated the Hubble Space Telescope's 21st anniversary by releasing an image of spiral galaxies Arp 273 positioned in a rose-like shape. [30]

The red rose is also part of the official logo of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), [31] being a symbol of socialism generally. [32]

Canada

In 1930, Rosa acicularis (the wild rose or prickly rose) was adopted as the official provincial flower of the Canadian province of Alberta. The suggestion that a provincial floral emblem be adopted by first made by an Edmonton newspaper editor; "the Women's Institutes took up the suggestion and passed it on to the Department of Education, and the province's schoolchildren made the final choice." [33] [34]

The Wildrose Party, a now-defunct Albertan political party, was named after the province's official flower. [35]

Mexico

The Mexican city of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, is nicknamed the "City of Roses" (Ciudad de las Rosas). [36] [37]

Socialism and social democracy

Badge of French Workers Party (Parti Ouvrier Francais) with rising sun on a red rosette background, 1893 Badge of the French Workers Party (Parti Ouvrier Francais) 1893-1905.jpg
Badge of French Workers Party (Parti Ouvrier Francais) with rising sun on a red rosette background, 1893
Emblem for "The World Order of Socialists" with a red rose, substituting the shield of arms, containing a handshake stretching a rationally devised globe under a rising sun, designed by Walter Crane, c. 1915 Walter Crane emblem for The World Order of Socialists.jpg
Emblem for "The World Order of Socialists" with a red rose, substituting the shield of arms, containing a handshake stretching a rationally devised globe under a rising sun, designed by Walter Crane, c.1915

Since the 1880s, the red rose has been a symbol of socialism. [38] [39] The origin of the rose as a symbol of socialism relates to its association with the color red. Since at least 1848, red was associated with socialism. [40] Following the French Revolution of 1848, the socialists pushed to have the revolution's red flag be designated the national flag. [41] The republicans, however, prevailed and the French tricolor flag remained the national flag. The provisional government as a compromise decreed that: "As a sign of rallying and as a remembrance of recognition for the last act of the popular revolution, members of the provisional government and other authorities will wear the red rosette, which will also be placed at the flagstaff." [42]

During the Paris Commune in 1871, the red flag solidified its link with socialism when it flew as the flag of the Communards' short-lived government. [43] Following the collapse of the Paris Commune, German Chancellor Bismarck out of fear of the growing strength of the socialists in Germany had parliament pass the Anti-Socialist laws to suppress the activities of the Social Democratic Party. As part of the Anti-Socialist laws in 1878, the display of emblems of the Social Democratic Party were banned. To circumvent the law, social democrats wore red bits of ribbons in their buttonholes. These actions, however, led to arrest and jail sentences. Subsequently, red rosebuds were substituted by social democrats. These actions also led to arrest and jail sentences. The judge ruled that in general everyone has a right to wear any flower as suits their taste, but when socialists as a group wear red rosebuds, it becomes a party emblem. [38]

Due to the Anti-Socialist laws, which banned social democratic activities, hundreds of socialists were fined, imprisoned, or exiled from Germany. [44] Subsequently, the German exiles spread the red rose symbol of socialism across Europe and to the United States. The socialist Johann Most was one of these German socialist exiles, who first went to England, and then later went to the United States and carried the red rosebud symbol with him. The red rosebud was worn in his lapel in 1887 during speeches he gave in support of the eight individuals convicted in the Haymarket Affair in a sign of socialist solidarity. [39] Similarly, the wearing of a red flower, such as a red carnation or red rose, became common during the commemoration ceremonies in France at the Communards' Wall which remembered the victims of the collapse of the Paris Commune. [45] By the 1910s, the red rose was universally identified as a symbol of the socialist movement. [46] [47]

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives at New York University states that the rose "has always been an important symbol with anti-authoritarian associations." [48] The rose is used to show the end after the means, meaning "lay a rose on the grave". The rose symbol became popular as a political logo among socialist and social democratic political parties in post-World War II Western Europe. [48] The symbol of a rose in a fist is used by the Socialist International "and many of its member parties". [49] The French Socialist Party (PS) was the first party to adopt the rose in a fist symbol in 1971. [50] [51] The British Labour Party has used a red rose as its symbol since the late 1980s; the rose replaced the party's previous symbol, the red flag. [52] [53]

Allegorically in literature

The rose in an allegorical sense appears many times in literature. In William Blake's poem "The Sick Rose" the rose is a symbol for love or passion, it is crimson and dark but now sick, the worm has infected it. The rose in the popular 13th-century French poem "Romance of the Rose" is a personification of the woman, the object of the lover's attentions, and his plucking of the rose represents his conquest of her. In the title of William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" the rose has a number of possible meanings: as Emily's lover now dried and preserved, or a secret as per sub rosa. In a postscript to The Name of the Rose , Umberto Eco discusses the reason behind the title to his 1983 novel: "because the rose is a symbolic figure so rich in meanings that by now it hardly has any meaning left".

Relationships

A red rose is a gift primarily given to a love interest, symbolising a marital or romantic relationship. A white rose is gifted when the gifter's intention is friendship and there are no romantic feelings involved. Red is traditionally seen as a symbol of passion, while white is a symbol of purity and innocence.

Other

Monument to the "Weisse Rose". Scholl-Denkmal, Munchen.jpg
Monument to the "Weiße Rose".

The "White Rose" (German die Weiße Rose) was a World War II non-violent intellectual resistance group in the Third Reich led by a group of students and a professor at the University of Munich. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi party regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942, and ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943.

Under Gestapo interrogation, Hans Scholl gave several explanations for the origin of the name "The White Rose," and suggested he may have chosen it while he was under the emotional influence of a 19th-century poem with the same name by German poet Clemens Brentano. It was also speculated that the name might have been taken from either the Cuban poet, Jose Marti's verse "Cultivo una rosa blanca" or a German novel Die Weiße Rose ( The White Rose ), written by B. Traven, the German author of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre . Hans Scholl and Alex Schmorell had read this novel. They also wrote that the symbol of the white rose was intended to represent purity and innocence in the face of evil. [54]

See also

Related Research Articles

Rose Genus of plants

A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae, or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing, or trailing, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Their flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwestern Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Roses have acquired cultural significance in many societies. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach seven meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses.

Fleur-de-lis Stylized lily, heraldic symbol

The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys, is a lily that is used as a decorative design or symbol.

Flag of the Soviet Union National flag

The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the Soviet flag, was the official state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1922 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from several sources, but emerged during the Russian Revolution. The flag is also an international symbol of the communist movement as a whole.

Hammer and sickle Communist symbol

The hammer and sickle is a symbol meant to represent proletarian solidarity – a union between the peasantry and the working class. It was first adopted during the Russian Revolution, the hammer representing workers and the sickle representing the farmers.

Red flag (politics) Symbol of socialism and left-wing politics

In politics, a red flag is predominantly a symbol of socialism, communism, Marxism, trade unions, left-wing politics, and historically of anarchism. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution (1789–1799).

Political colour Colours used to represent a political ideology, movement or party

Political colours are colours used to represent a political ideology, movement or party, either officially or unofficially. It is the intersection of colour symbolism and political symbolism.

Flag of Georgia (country) National flag

The flag of Georgia, also known as the Five Cross Flag, is one of the national symbols of Georgia. Originally a banner of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia, it was repopularized in the late 20th and early 21st centuries during the Georgian national revival.

National emblem of Belarus National emblem of the Republic of Belarus

The national emblem of Belarus features a ribbon in the colors of the national flag, a map of Belarus, wheatears and a red star. It is sometimes referred to as the coat of arms of Belarus, although in heraldic terms this is inaccurate as the emblem does not respect the rules of conventional heraldry. The emblem is an allusion to one that was used by the Byelorussian SSR, designed by Ivan Dubasov in 1950, with the biggest change being a replacement of the Communist hammer and sickle with an outline map of Belarus. The Belarusian name is Dziaržaŭny herb Respubliki Biełaruś, and the name in Russian is Gosudarstvennyĭ gerb Respubliki Belarusʹ.

Red star Symbol often historically associated with communist ideology and more recently with socialism

A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. It has been widely used in flags, state emblems, monuments, ornaments, and logos.

White Rose of York Symbol of the House of York and Yorkshire

The White Rose of York is a white heraldic rose which was adopted in the 14th century as an heraldic badge of the royal House of York. In modern times it is used more broadly as a symbol of the county of Yorkshire.

Red Rose of Lancaster Heraldic device used by the county and House of Lancaster

The Red Rose of Lancaster was the heraldic badge adopted by the royal House of Lancaster in the 14th century. In modern times it symbolises the county of Lancashire. The exact species or cultivar which it represents is thought to be Rosa gallica officinalis.

The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long standing image of mixed meaning, often a symbol of political solidarity. It is also a common symbol of communism, and can also be used as a salute to express unity, strength, or resistance.

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Anti-Socialist Laws

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Socialist state emblems

Socialist state emblems usually follow a unique style consisting of communist symbolism. Although commonly referred to as coats of arms, most are not actually traditional heraldic achievements. Many communist governments purposely diverged from heraldic tradition in order to distance themselves from the monarchies that they usually replaced, with coats of arms being seen as symbols of the monarchs.

The German Strafgesetzbuch in section § 86a outlaws "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations" outside the contexts of "art or science, research or teaching". The law does not name the individual symbols to be outlawed, and there is no official exhaustive list. However, the law has primarily been used to outlaw Nazi, Communist, and Islamic extremist symbols. The law was adopted during the Cold War and notably affected the Communist Party of Germany, which was banned as unconstitutional in 1956, the Socialist Reich Party and several small far-right parties.

Communist symbolism represents a variety of themes, including revolution, the proletariat, peasantry, agriculture, or international solidarity.

National symbols of North Korea

Upon its liberation in 1945 and subsequent foundation in 1948, North Korea adopted national symbols distinct from the national symbols of South Korea. The traditional flag of Korea, the Taegukgi, and the symbol Taeguk, were swapped for communist symbols.

Three Arrows social democratic political symbol

The Three Arrows is a social democratic political symbol associated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), used in the late history of the Weimar Republic. First conceived for the SPD-dominated Iron Front as a symbol of the social democratic resistance against Nazism in 1932, it became an official symbol of the Party during the November 1932 German federal election, representing opposition towards Nazism, communism and reactionary conservatism.

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