June 1, 2024
June – Roses and Pearls
By Eloise Graham
The flower for June is the rose. The rose and the shrub are of the Rosa genus. Their colors range from deep red to the palest of pink, orange hues to yellows to white. A lavender rose has even been cultivated.
Early civilizations of temperate zones were believed to be growing roses as far back as 5,000 years ago. Roses were believed to have been grown in ancient Babylon. Paintings discovered in Egyptian pyramids from the 14th century B.C. had paintings with roses depicted in the artwork.
The legend of the thorn – Cupid, the son of Venus, shot arrows accidentally into a rose garden when he was stung by a bee. The resulting ‘sting’ from the arrows is what gave the flower its thorns.
The birthstones for June, there are three: the pearl, the moonstone and Alexandrite. A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk, usually an oyster. Moonstones are a little softer in composition than the pearl, but they have a sheen to them similar to that of the pearl. They were named “moonstone” because of the visual effect caused by light diffraction giving it the appearance of moonbeams shining through. Alexandrite is a gemstone that has the ability to change color depending on whether it is viewed in natural sunlight or artificial light. It ranges from deep emerald green, blue and dark purple tones to red-violet, magenta and red tones.
History of the June Bride
It is believed that the history of the June bride dates back over 2,000 years to the early Roman Empire. June 1 was a festival to the deity Juno, the wife of Jupiter. Juno was the goddess of love and fertility. It was hoped she would bless any union in June.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, people usually only bathed once a year. It was late May before the rivers and ponds were warm enough to bathe in. By June, they still smelled comparatively fresh. With flowers were reaching their blooming season their fragrant scents would cover up any body odor that was starting. Thus, the bridal bouquet and the groom’s boutonnière came about, just in case!
June was also a practical time to get married when planning ahead for the children. In pre-contraceptive times getting married in June would mean that the babies would be born in the spring. This way, they wouldn’t be tiny infants in the cold of winter. Come fall, the babies wouldn’t need as much attention so the women would be able to help with the fall harvest, the busiest time of the year.
