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White Roses Meanings, Symbolism, and History.
Last Updated
February 4, 2024
Written By
Mariam V.
The white rose is a beautiful flower, especially when a rose flower lasts a year or longer, though white rose meanings, symbolism, and history make it even more fascinating. If you don’t know much about this exquisite and pure bloom, there is much to discover.
Learning what the white rose means, what it stands for, and how it came to be may help you realize it is the perfect gift for the next occasion you encounter. With white roses, you can express yourself in many ways. How will you use them to express your sentiments?
WHITE ROSES SYMBOLISM
What Does the
White Rose Mean?
Like other flowers and roses, the white rose has several meanings.
Young love, purity, virtue, innocence
Innocent and pure, white is synonymous with this meaning, especially with white roses. It is often used in bridal arrangements for this reason, which has been done for centuries. That freshness and start in life are why white roses are such a great symbol.
Spiritual peace, reverence, unity
White roses aren’t about innocence, purity, virtue, or young love. You will see them at funerals, too. They are meant to bring everyone together in spiritual peace and reverence on these occasions.
Sending white roses or displaying them for the dearly departed is a farewell message to the one you remember.
Everlasting love, eternal loyalty
Because they are great for weddings, it stands to reason that white roses symbolize everlasting love and eternal loyalty, too. This color is pure and clean, so it has a positive association with it.
You can convey this message by sending white roses to someone. And if you are the recipient of white roses, it is a color of perfection, goodness, and love that lasts.
WHITE ROSES SYMBOLISM
The Meaning of
White Roses with Tips
You may have noticed that roses come in many colors. White roses also come in varieties with colored tips that give them new meanings. What is the meaning behind these tips?
Red Tips. White roses with red tips aren’t just gorgeous. They are also a symbol of unity when you combine them. White rose flowers with red tips would be a perfect romantic gift!
Pink Tips. Adding pink at the tips of your white roses signifies perfection and happiness. Send these on a festive occasion or to thank someone for something extraordinary they’ve done.
Blue Tips. Like the blue roses themselves, white roses with blue tips are truly extraordinary and full of mystery. If you give them to someone, you’re expressing purity and acknowledging their uniqueness.
Green Tips. White roses with green tips can be a symbol of renewal and fertility. They may also reveal peace and, combined with the white body of the roses, can celebrate new life or abundance.
The Meaning of a White Rose When Combined With Other Roses
You don’t have to stick to one color when giving a bouquet of roses. However, you should know what they mean before you pair them together.
White and red roses together show unity and a joining of forces. These are splendid for weddings. You can also combine white and pink roses for happiness and joy, another idea for a wedding bouquet.
White and yellow roses symbolize harmony, while white and purple roses together can create a regal vibe. Choosing a lighter shade can convey true love, as purple comes in various shades.
The White Roses Symbolism in Numbers
Like other rose colors, the white rose also brings symbolism in numbers.
You can convey a strong message of hope and love with one white rose. It is pure and respectful. Out of innocence and honesty, it can acknowledge the bond between 2 people. With two roses, you show mutual love and affection. Give six white roses, and you’re a bit obsessed in a good way, telling the recipient that you want to be with them.
When you give someone ten white roses, you say that the love they give you is the pinnacle of perfection. Add one more for 11 roses, conveying true and deeply treasured love. Make it a dozen at 12 white roses; you’ve got the classic “be mine” message loud and clear.
If you’ve made a mistake, order 15 roses to say sorry. And if you’re completely obsessed and give all your love to just one, sending two dozen roses for 24 says, “I’m yours.” You can give more white roses than that, too. At 36 roses, you tell that person you are head over heels.
The History of the White Roses
The history of white roses is incredibly enchanting. It started in ancient Greece when this color rose symbolized Aphrodite, who, if you may recall, was renamed Venus if you paid attention during the segment on Greek mythology in school.
Call her Aphrodite or Venus, whatever you like, but the story goes that all roses were white until this revered goddess pricked her foot on a thorn, which caused the roses to turn red. Back in those ancient days, offering flowers at the temples of these gods was incredibly common, and roses were brought for Aphrodite.
Due to this practice, giving flowers to a woman is one way to tell her you think she’s a goddess herself. But the history of the white rose doesn’t end in ancient Greece.
During the 14th century, the War of Roses was between the Duke of York and the Lancaster family in England. The Duke’s family used the white rose as a symbol, while the others used the red rose.
Even after this war, the white rose maintained an air of true love and feminism and was a mainstay at weddings. Later, the tradition of white roses turned up in bridal bouquets thanks to Queen Victoria, who carried white roses down the aisle in her marriage in 1840.
White roses are also part of Christianity and can represent the Virgin Mary, sometimes called the “Mystical Rose of Heaven.” She represents joy and purity; these white roses were often seen in gardens in medieval times.
Appropriate Occasions to Gift White Roses
You can give white roses for some occasions and have them say everything you want.
- Birthdays: Because they are pure and innocent, white roses make such a lovely gesture on a birthday. They show appreciation for a wonderful gift for a friend or loved one.
- Weddings: In the olden days, young women of marrying age would don wreaths or crowns of white flowers to show they were available. It showcased a pristine or pure quality, so we deem white a pure and proper color for weddings. That’s evident in the white dress tradition, though white roses are perfect for weddings.
- Graduations: White roses at a graduation party symbolize the beginning of a new journey. Whether it is high school graduation, college graduation, or other graduation ceremonies, you can send white roses to wish them good luck.
- Hospital Visits, Get Well Events: If someone has been ill and is on the mend or undergoing surgery, you can send them white roses. These beautiful and pure flowers show your appreciation and send a spiritual message of purity in intentions.
- Mother’s Day: Yes, you can give Mom or Grandma white roses on Mother’s Day. It is an excellent color rose to present to someone close to you who has given you support and guided you through life.
- Funerals: White roses can be used in funeral settings too. Because they symbolize purity, it conveys that the departed has gone on to heaven. They can also bring peace to a grieving family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What does the white rose flower symbolize?
A. White roses are a great symbol of purity and are often used at weddings. They can also show innocence, youthfulness, loyalty, and young love.
Q. What does it mean when someone gives you white roses?
A. There are many meanings behind someone giving you white roses. The intention is positive, motivated by purity and innocence, a new beginning, or everlasting love. However, white roses have a range and can be gifted for weddings, anniversaries, or even for sending well wishes for graduations, birthdays, and job promotions.
Q. What does the white rose mean in a relationship?
A. In a relationship, white roses can mean everlasting love and unity, so they are perfect for weddings.
Q. What does it mean when someone gives you red roses?
A. If someone gives you the gift of roses, it almost always means that they love you.
Q. What does a white rose mean spiritually?
A. White roses have a spiritual meaning that represents change and positive growth. It can also express unconditional love and trust that intuition you may feel deep in your gut.
Q. Do red roses mean death?
A. Red roses almost always refer to love. Black roses are associated with death.
Q. Do white roses mean death?
A. Not entirely… white roses convey a spiritual meaning behind death. They do not mean a bad omen but rather a change. And for those resistant to change, such as when someone they love dies, and they must go on without them, it may feel negative. However, giving white roses to a grieving family is considered a thoughtful, loving, and kind gesture of peace.
Q. What does a single white rose mean?
A. If someone gives you a single white rose, it may mean they are starting to fall in love. However, it could show a little hesitation since they are unsure you feel the same way. If that’s the case, you may want to work on your communication, but generally, this is a pure and innocent gesture to give a white rose.
Q. What do 12 white roses mean?
A. If you get a dozen white roses, that person tells you they are entirely committed to you. This is associated with unity and eternity, associated with marriage. Should someone give you this many white roses, they are connected to you and love you just as you are. They may even be hinting that they will pop the big question soon!
Q. What do white roses mean at a funeral?
A. Since they represent eternity, you can also send them to express sympathies at mournful occasions like funerals. White roses convey sympathy through honor, peace, and innocence. It is a kind gesture for those grieving to receive these flowers that wish for peace in the departed’s heavenly afterlife.
Conclusion: What are the Reasons to Purchase White Roses?
As you can see, there are many reasons why you’d want to buy white roses and give them to people in your life. The reason will often be for a happy occasion, where purity and new beginnings lie ahead. White roses are an excellent way to express your sentiments for birthdays, graduations, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, and weddings.
white roses can also convey sympathy on mournful occasions. White roses are suitable for funerals because they have an uplifting feeling to comfort those grieving.
White roses will surely be a treasured gift that offers your purest intentions to the recipient for just about any occasion!
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