Judging by the lines at the florist, Galentine’s Day chatter, and heart-shaped everything, February 14 is fast approaching. But before you hit “add to cart” on that last-minute gift for y0ur sweetheart, you might want to hit pause to consider the meaning behind traditional Valentine’s Day colors like red, white, and pink.
Let us introduce you to floriography, a concept dating back to 19th-century England in which the color of the flowers you sent your special someone would convey your true feelings. The blooms that were given or worn sent coded messages ranging from love and adoration to innocence and modesty. In fact, there ended up being many books written about the meaning of florals including author Charlotte de La Tour’s Le Langage des Fleurs published in 1819.
Of course, bouquets aren’t the only way to express how you feel this Valentine’s Day. The colors of your V-Day tablescape, wreath, or cards can also send subtle messages to your loved ones. Want to know their secrets? Scroll down to find a crash course on the true meaning behind your favorite Valentine’s Day colors.
What are the Valentine’s Day colors?
Pop into any flower shop or even a festive hotel or restaurant and there’s no arguing that red, white, and pink are the official colors of Valentine’s Day. As a holiday centered around love and romance, it’s no surprise that these bold colors with their rich pasts are associated with the celebration.
What’s the meaning of the color red?
According to the Society of American Florists, red roses are the most popular flowers for Valentine’s Day, totaling 60 percent of sales. Red is the symbol of love, romance, and desire, making it the ideal color for a day with that special someone. Furthermore, in Indian and Chinese cultures, red is connected with luck and marriage, and it’s also the preferred bridal attire for weddings.
In a more literal sense, red is the color of blood that pumps through our hearts, which represents love and passion and romance. Additionally, red was the first color to be linked with Valentine’s Day at Lupercalia in Rome, an ancient pagan festival held each year on February 15. At the festivities, male goats and a dog would be sacrificed, and the blood of the animals would be wiped on the foreheads of two priests and wiped off with a wool cloth soaked in milk. They would then run around the city naked and “gently slap” women with the cloth as it was believed to increase fertility. (We’ll stick with a box of chocolates, please!)
What’s the meaning of the color white?
On a lighter note, white roses are common during Valentine’s Day. Giving your partner these snow-colored florals shows your love is pure, and since it’s a popular choice for Western weddings, it’s become a religious interpretation of eternal love, too. Plus, not only does a fresh white arrangement look lovely on any table, you shouldn’t hesitate to make the statement that your bond was made to last.
What’s the meaning of the colors red and white together?
Speaking of relationships, it’s no secret that two is better than one—and the colors red and white are frequently side by side for Valentine’s Day. This striking color combination represents unity. No matter how long you’ve been with your person, it never hurts to have a reminder through a multicolored bouquet or dessert that you’re in this together.
What’s the meaning of the color pink?
Then again, not everything about Valentine’s Day has to be so intense. Whether you just started seeing someone or you simply want to celebrate with friends or family, pink is the perfect color, as it conveys the playfulness of young love or nonromantic compassion and kindness. On top of that, remember that roses aren’t the only flowers available, consider snagging pink carnations, peonies, or tulips for a joyous touch to your home or as a gift for whomever you’re celebrating with.
Is purple a Valentine’s Day color?
The color purple is an underrated accent hue for Valentine’s Day. Instead of the conventional combos above, switch things up with this elegant and mysterious tint. It’s the way to go if you’re sending an enchanting arrangement to a secret crush or you don’t want to go overboard with your Valentine’s Day decorations. For something more understated, bring in some lavender, which evokes subtle charm and grace.
Isis Briones
Senior Shopping Editor
Isis Briones is House Beautiful’s Senior Shopping Editor, she’ll find the best items for your home at every price point. She also loves to travel, so don’t be surprised if she hooks you up with some travel deals. Find more of her work published in Complex, Architectural Digest, Teen Vogue, and more.
FAQs
Red and pink are colors we often associate with love. Red is symbolic of more of a romantic type of love, while pink represents friendships and family love.
What do the colors mean on Valentine's Day? ›
Red signifies love and pink means gentleness. However, if you like both colours, you can opt for them both. It's a day to celebrate love, so don't hesitate to go over the top! Similarly, you can wear black on Valentine's Day to symbolise your disinterest or blue to indicate your interest in dating.
What do the colors of the flowers mean for Valentine's Day? ›
While a red rose is known to symbolize true love, the bloom is available in other colors that convey various meanings. White roses convey purity and everlasting love, yellow symbolize friendship, pink symbolize elegance, and lavender symbolize love at first sight, says Tina Merola of Blooms by the Box.
What do the colors of love mean? ›
As each colour represents a different meaning like white represents innocence, charm and purity, red represents romance and love, yellow represents joy, orange represents enthusiasm and energy, blue represents calmness and loyalty, pink represents admiration and gentleness, and so on.
What does the color purple mean on Valentine's Day? ›
If you and your loved one have a storybook, love-at-first-sight romance, then purple roses are the flowers for you. With ties to nobility and royalty, purple roses tell the one you love that she is the most important woman in your life, and your queen.
What does wearing red on Valentine's Day mean? ›
Firstly, red is associated with the heart, which is the centre of love and emotion. The heart is often depicted as a bright red symbol, and this association has helped make red a powerful symbol of love. Another reason why red is the colour of love is because of its association with desire and passion.
What is the meaning of different colors? ›
Essential English colors and their meanings
Red: Red is a color of anger, love and danger. Orange: Orange represents energy, enthusiasm and warmth. Yellow: Yellow denotes happiness and positivity. Green: Green symbolizes nature. The color green represents jealousy and good luck.
What does a black rose mean in a relationship? ›
Breakups, divorce, and a fading relationship are all appropriate occasions for black roses, since these flowers represent the end of a relationship and the start of something new.
What color rose means love? ›
Red: Red roses are the most traditional Valentine's Day flower, and with good reason. This color represents romance, love, beauty and perfection. It is sometimes said that dark red roses represent humility or unconscious beauty.
What do yellow roses mean? ›
Yellow Roses: Friendship and Joy
Today, the meaning of yellow roses has evolved to represent more cheerful concepts that match their bright color. These blooms can be used to say a number of things such as "remember me," "good luck," or "welcome back, making them a great gift for a friend who needs a little positivity.
Colours are usually associated with moods, therefore dark colours (for dark moods) such as grey and black are usually associated with sadness, whereas bright colours like red, orange & yellow are associated with happiness.
What color attracts love? ›
Red is, of course, the colour of love. In Feng Shui, red represents fire and passion. Symbolic of one of the strongest elements in nature, it should be used with great care.
What colors represent loneliness? ›
In Europe and America, grey is the color most associated with boredom, loneliness and emptiness. It is associated with rainy days and winter. Silver symbolizes rest. Historically: In antiquity and the Middle Ages, grey was the color of undyed wool, and so it was the color most worn by peasants and the poor.
What are the 3 colors of Valentine's Day? ›
What are the Valentine's Day colors? Pop into any flower shop or even a festive hotel or restaurant and there's no arguing that red, white, and pink are the official colors of Valentine's Day.
What does black color mean on Valentine's Day? ›
Although the black colour looks classy and elegant, wearing it on Valentine's Day shows that you have rejected the proposal. It is a polite way of rejecting someone's proposal without hurting their sentiments. You can also wear black colour if your proposal got rejected.
What does pink color mean on Valentine's Day? ›
Pink is often seen as a softer and more youthful version of red and stands for young love, femininity, innocence, and purity. In addition, many of the favorite flowers for Valentine's Day, such as roses, carnations, and tulips, come in both shades, which makes the connection even stronger.
What are the three Valentines Day colors? ›
Flowers, chocolate, jewelry, cards … Have you ever thought why red, pink and white are the colors for Valentine's day? Red means love, symbolic of the heart, and the red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red and white, make pink.
What's the true meaning behind Valentine's Day? ›
While the date is meant to honor Saint Valentine's death and burial, which supposedly occurred in mid-February around 270 AD, some historians believe the date could reflect the Catholic Church's attempt to replace the ancient Pagan celebration of Lupercalia — a fertility festival for the pagan agricultural god Faunus — ...
What is the other color of Valentine's Day? ›
30 best Valentine's Day color schemes with the red of love, pink for gentleness, gold for trust, lavender for passion, burgundy for care and much more.
What does the color red code on Valentine's Day? ›
#E55451 (Valentine Red) HTML Color Code.
