Cutouts of red hearts and flowers adorning almost every place you step into. Pictures of a winged boy with bow and arrows posted on the walls. These images are unmistakable—together with other symbols associated with love, they represent Valentine’s Day. Of course, you are very familiar with all those love symbols scattered all over the place every February. But do you know the stories behind them? Read on to find out the origins and meanings of the different V-day symbols.
Heart
Heart reigns supreme among all symbols associated with the day of love. No wonder about it because the heart is the key organ in sustaining life, just as love is. In the ancient times, the heart was believed to where all emotions come from. Later, the Valentine heart shape became a symbol of love or romance. It is not known, though, when this started. According to scholars, the heart symbol could have originated from the attempts of people in the early times to draw an organ they had never seen. Since then, heart-shaped cards, cakes, cookies, pillows, and other items have become a hit every 14th of February.
Cupid
So who is Cupid? Most people know him as a little chubby winged boy carrying a bow and arrow. In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of love and son of Venus, the deity of love and beauty. The arrows that he carries symbolize love and desire, and they say when he strikes you with one, you will soon fall in love.
Rose
Why are roses a staple every V-day? It is because roses are considered the messenger of love. How do you express your love to someone so special? Give her red roses. Red represents intense desire, and it is said that red rose was the favorite flower of Venus.
Love Knots
Among the most popular symbols of love are the series of interlacing and twisting loops without beginning or end. That is why love knots are known to signify eternal love. Love knots are said to have come from Ireland. In the Middle East, Muslim women expressed their love to young men by sending love knots woven in carpets.
Love Birds
Found in Africa, these cute, colorful birds are called love birds because they sit closely to each other and appear to be never apart, just as lovers do. Also, many people believe that love birds cannot live long in the absence of their partners. Aside from love birds, swans and doves are also well-known symbols of pure love and loyalty. In many countries, white doves are used in weddings to signify peace, love, loyalty, and good luck.
Lace, Ribbons, and Frills
These symbols are also associated with Valentine’s Day. In the early times, a knight would wear a lace or a ribbon given to him by his loved one before he would go to the battlefield. Another story explains how laces have become the symbol for love. Since hundreds of years ago, laces have been used for making handkerchiefs of women. A woman who likes a man would drop her hanky on purpose, hoping that the man would pick it up for her.
DANIELA OLIVEIRA
JUNE / 2022
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