February 14th is around the corner and the cliched sentence ‘ love is in the air’ is making rounds anywhere and everywhere around you. Along with it the colors of Valentine’s Day are also palpable everywhere. What are the colors of Valentine’s Day? Along with the symbols of Valentine’s Day, the colors are also equally popular.
Colors play a great role in our lives, and some colors have a way of influencing our thoughts, moods, and emotions. Each of the three colors associated with Valentine’s Day, pink, red, and white signify a different kind of love.
Before we get into the color scheme of Valentine’s Day, let us have a quick look at what exactly Valentine’s Day is and what it signifies.
Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine is celebrated annually on February 14th. It is believed Valentine’s Day has taken its name from a priest named Valentine who was martyred by emperor Claudius II Gothicus in about 270 CE. Other stories are saying the holiday was named after the bishop of Terni, St. Valentine. They also say both the saints could be the same person. Legend says Saint Valentine got couples married secretly so that they need not go to war. That was like defying the King’s orders. Hence the day is associated with love and romance.
Valentine’s Day Colors
Dressing up according to the Valentine’s Day colors or giving flowers or gifts associated with these colors are quite common on Valentine’s Day. It is also a good way to make your friends aware of your relationship status in an indirect way.
Pink, red, and white are the colors associated with Valentine’s Day, and the shelves in supermarkets, stores, and gift shops are flooded with items in these colors. Have you thought about why these colors were chosen as Valentine’s Day colors? Just like the history of this festival, the colors also have a significance on why they are the Valentine’s Day colors. There are historical and mythological stories revolving around these colors that make them interesting and likable, and also closely connected with Valentine’s Day.
Pink
While red and white are the more popular colors of Valentine’s Day, pink is also used a lot along with the other two colors. Pink is a fine combination of red and white and is also said to be a mix of innocence and love. The pink color is delicate and pleasing to the eye, and there is something pleasant about the shade pink. It is a good shade to represent friendly and familial love.
If you want to gift a friend or a relative something for Valentine’s Day it can be something in the shade of pink, flowers, roses, hearts, or cards, it could be anything but in pink color. Go ahead, and pick up your pink color gift now before the stores run out of stock of their pink-colored gifts for Valentine’s Day.
Red
Red is the color of passion, making it the perfect color for lovers. The red color is associated with a lot of emotions, anger, aggression, intensity, love, and passion are some of the most common emotions that are linked to the red shade.
There is also a history behind red color and why it is one of the shades used as Valentine’s Day colors. During the festival of Lupercalia, an ancient Pagan festival in Rome, the blood of sacrificed animals was associated with fertility. Later the name of the saint associated with the Valentine’s Day holiday also has a connection to blood because Saint Valentine was beheaded.
Greek mythology anyway has a different story for the red shade. Aphrodite, the goddess of love was in love with Adonis, a mortal. When he was dying, Aphrodite rushed to him and in the haste stamped on a white rose. The thorn pricked her leg, and the blood stained the white rose and turned it red. This rose was supposed to be the first red rose on earth.
Red is the color of the heart and blood, and that is why it is connected to love and passion. Since it is linked to the heart and blood, it is connected to romantic love. In many countries like India and China, brides wear bridal attire in red color as it signifies love, fertility, and prosperity. If you look at Valentine’s Day colors, red is always pink and white, the other two colors of Valentine’s Day.
White
White, like pink, is associated with innocence and is also the color of purity. White also has historical and mythological significance like the color red. The Lupercalia festival’s dominant color was red, and blood was placed on the forehead of the priests present there. It was removed using a piece of wool soaked in milk. This festival of fertility was celebrated on February 15th when male goats and a dog were sacrificed by Luperci, a Roman priesthood.
The mythological story behind white being the color of Valentine’s Day is that of Aphrodite and Adonis where her foot was pricked by the thorn on the stem of the white rose, and how it stained it to red color.
The color combination of red and white symbolizes unity and the connection between Christ and the Church. This combination reminds everyone of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. The Church is referred to as the bride of Christ in the Bible, and that makes white the color to represent the Church.
If you are gifting your lover or partner white roses or anything in white for Valentine’s Day, it means purity and everlasting love.
Wrapping it Up
Next time you see pink, red, and white roses, candies, hearts, balloons, dresses, and other things, remember Saint Valentine and the Lupercalia festival. Now you know why the market is flooded with these colors ahead of Valentine’s Day. You also know what color gifts you have to choose for your partner, lover, relative, and friend, and make their Valentine’s Day special.
