Valentine’s Day can be filled with such a diverse range of emotions. Ideally, it’s romance and love, but often enough it’s a time of loneliness and maybe even some jealousy. But sometimes it can be a holiday full of disappointment and terror, as one or maybe both parts of the couple remember, too late, that the special day is coming up.

Recently, a more conscientious internet user asked if he was in the wrong for giving his girlfriend regular bouquets of roses. And on Valentine’s Day, almost by accident, he really outdid himself. By itself, this sounds at worst harmless, but his actions seem to have upset his girlfriend’s relatives.

Getting flowers and other gifts on special occasions is a time-tested way to show your significant other that you care

Image credits: StudioLucky (not the actual photo)

So when a man sent his girlfriend a lovely bouquet of flowers on Valentine’s Day, he thought nothing of it

While his gift was very thoughtful, it ruffled a few feathers with her immediate family

Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Flower-PowerRanger

Flowers have been a sign of love and care for almost as long as civilization

The aesthetic powers of flowers go back, like many inventions, to the Ancient Egyptians, where they would be used to decorate primarily woman’s hair. There is some evidence that we valued flowers for one reason or another during the stone age. The El Mirón Cave in Northern Spain is the tomb of a woman who died around 18’000 years ago. Among other items, archeologists found flowers buried with her, indicating some ritual value for this impractical plant. Now, the story here focuses on love, hence the roses for Valentine’s Day, but flowers are also commonly used to mark death or mourning.

Ancient Greek burial rights included flower crowns for the deceased and the Día de los Muertos from Mexico has Aztec ritual elements that also include flowers for the dead. We still place flowers on gravestones regularly, purely to show others that this particular person is still cared for even after their passing. Now, flowers aren’t actually useless, they have traditionally been used in dyes, cooking, and even some winemaking. But next to their aesthetic appeal is the fact that they are not everyday items, so its more special when someone gives you a bouquet.

Image credits: Olena_Rudo (not the actual photo)

So that gifted bouquet is actually a time-honored tradition dating back centuries

Speaking of bouquets, we again have the Egyptians to thank. The first recorded decorative bouquets are from around 2500BC, lotuses, irises, anemones, and narcissus. China and Japan also have their own conventions and styles of flower arrangement. In Japan, the art of flower arrangement, or ikebana, was a sign of status and was practiced by accomplished military leaders as a way to decompress. But the more modern bouquet, particularly the sort given to a loved one originated in the Netherlands.

Valentine, in Valentine’s Day actually refers to a saint of the same name, who is often referred to as a patron of lovers. While recognized as a feast day as far back as 800AD, the connection with lovers only came about in the late medieval ages, when it was connected with courtly love. February was picked for the feast day, so as to replace the pagan Lupercalia with a Christian alternative. Since the Lupercalia celebrated love and marriage, the connection to Valentine’s became more clear. Later, in the 18th century, did people start sending cards and gifts. Candy was a popular item to give to a lover, along with flowers.

Image credits: Pressmaster (not the actual photo)

Commentors were united in proclaiming that OP was not a jerk and that his girlfriend’s family should really relax

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