What the different symbols mean...

CHOCOLATES

Since ancient times, chocolates have been associated with sexual powers and fertility. One of the reasons for this is that when eaten, chocolates stimulate the production of a chemical that is similar to the chemical produced when a person is in love.

HEART

Emotions are feelings such as love, happiness, anger, or fear. A long time ago, people believed that all the emotions were found in the heart. In later years, they thought only the emotion of love was connected with the heart. The heart is still a symbol of love, and because of this, it is also a symbol of Valentine's Day

RED ROSE

The rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red is a color that stands for strong feelings. This is why the red rose is a flower of love.

LACE

Lace is a pretty fabric made by weaving together fine threads. Hundreds of years ago, women carried lace handkerchiefs. If a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man nearby might pick it up and return it to her. Sometimes a woman might see a man she wanted to meet. She might drop her lace handkerchief on purpose to encourage romance. Soon people thought of romance when they thought of lace. They began using paper lace to decorate chocolate boxes and Valentine cards.

GLOVES

Years ago, when a man proposed marriage to a woman, he "asked for her hand." The hand became a symbol of marriage and love. Soon gloves also became a symbol of love.

RINGS

In some countries, men and women exchange rings when they become engaged or marry. Two or three hundred years ago, Valentine's Day was a popular day for giving an engagement ring. An engagement ring usually had a stone or jewel set in it. Diamonds are common in today's engagement rings.

LOVE KNOT

A love knot is a series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end. It is a symbol of endless love. People made love knots from ribbon or drew them on paper. Often, a message was written on the love knot. The message had no beginning or end. It could be repeated endlessly.

LOVEBIRDS & DOVES

Lovebirds are colorful parrots found in Africa. Most have red bills. They are called lovebirds because they sit closely together in pairs. Doves were thought to be favorite birds of Venus. They remain with the same mates all their lives. The males and females both care for their babies. Because these birds are symbols of loyalty and love, they are also symbols of Valentine's Day.

CUPID

Son of Venus, goddess of love. He could cause people to fall in love by piercing them with one of his magic arrows.

Cupid is the most famous of Valentine symbols. He is known as a mischievous, winged child armed with bow and arrows. He shot darts of desire into the bosoms of both gods and men causing them to fall deeply in love. Cupid has always played a role in the celebrations of love and lovers. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman's he was Cupid, and his mother was Venus. 

One legend tells the story of Cupid and the mortal maiden Psyche. Venus was jealous of the beauty of Psyche, and ordered Cupid to punish the mortal. But instead, Cupid fell deeply in love with her. He took her as his wife, but as a mortal she was forbidden to look at him. 

Psyche was happy until her sisters convinced her to look at Cupid. Cupid punished her by leaving and their lovely castle and gardens vanished with him. Psyche found herself alone in an open field. As she wandered trying to find her love, she came upon the temple of Venus. Wishing to destroy her, the goddess of love gave Psyche a series of tasks, each harder and more dangerous then the last. 

For her last task Psyche was given a little box and told to take it to the underworld. She was told to get some of the beauty of Proserpine, the wife of Pluto, and put it in the box. During her trip she was given tips on avoiding the dangers of the realm of the dead. She was also warned not to open the box. Temptation overcame Psyche and she opened the box. But instead of finding beauty, she found deadly slumber. 

Cupid found her lifeless on the ground. He gathered the deadly sleep from her body and put it back in the box. Cupid forgave her, as did Venus. The gods, moved by Psyche's love for Cupid made her a goddess.




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