The French are preparing to offer 1.5 million plants and bouquets of flowers this weekend on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, an extremely important day for florists, one of the only days of the year when flowers are bought en masse. This could be an opportunity to also think about the planet we want to build.
For once, on the occasion of this yet significant act, let’s think a little about the world we want to build and realize: when we buy a product, we also buy the world that goes with it!
When you don’t know how to choose, you are often tempted by the superb roses that florists offer us in abundance! Above all, with the symbolism of colors, what better than to offer a huge bouquet of red roses that will know better than to translate our feelings of love. How many roses will leave this weekend? About 50 million! They will be present in half of the bouquets.
But by the way, have you seen blooming roses in February in France? Giving roses on February 14 is a bit like giving cherries or strawberries, they necessarily come from very far away, and moreover, as they are perishable products, they came by plane! Strictly speaking, they smell… like kerosene our beautiful roses grown near airports in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ecuador or even in China, in social conditions that one can imagine to be very bad!
And of course without skimping on pesticides, many of which are banned in Europe, because who can believe that these sanitized and gigantic roses, with a single stem, which support a transport of thousands of kilometers, have not been abused, tampered with, boosted, artificialized as much as possible? Some others come from Dutch greenhouses heated and lit 20 hours a day, made from coal or of gas well polluting, or, at best, toenergy nuclear ! Not to mention the successive transports, most often by truck, from Holland where they all passed anyway. Because of course, the 15% of French flowers sold in France are almost all, too, passed through Amsterdam.
Is this the planet we want?
A planet where to offer a simple bouquet of 15 roses, we emit as many greenhouse gas than a journey of 200 kilometers in car ?
Let’s not be a killjoy, nothing prevents you from offering flowers to your beauty to show that, despite everything, especially in this particularly difficult year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are still capable of love and gratuitous acts. But, even if there are practically no more French cut flowers (the profession has fallen from 30,000 to only 3,000 jobs), we still have a magnificent ornamental horticulture sector, which still accounts for 160,000 jobs, which have been greatly abused for two years due to confinements. We therefore have an excellent opportunity to show that we want to pollute the planet less and more social solidarity in our country, which would add a lot of meaning to our love gift!
There is no shortage of more ecologically correct ideas: camellias, tulips, amaryllis, iriscrocuses, jasmines, mimosas, anemones, buttercups, wallflowers, freesias, cyclamen, primroses, daffodils, etc.
And why not, for our pleasure to be complete, also use the short circuit and aim for labels like blue plant, which guarantees that the plants have been produced in an eco-responsible manner by horticulturists or certified nurseries, Flower of France which guarantees the French origin of the plants, Fairtrade Max Havelaar Where Fair Flowers Fair Plantsfor fair trade flowers produced in compliance with environmental and social standards.
And to go further, we can watch the excellent report broadcast on Monday February 7, 2022 on France 5 in replay: “ Valentine’s Day: what’s behind our bouquets? He shows the world that goes with the flowers of our florists (sold without indication of origin), and makes us understand that these are now hyper-industrial and globalized products. We discover in particular the covered market of Aalsmeer near Amsterdam, which alone occupies an area equivalent to that of the Vatican to process 12 billion flowers per year, but also the nearby greenhouses lit 20 hours a day and of which the energy consumption is equivalent to a city of 30,000 inhabitants.
And the industrial production of roses in Ethiopia, in greenhouses that produce 3 million flowers a day, which leave immediately by plane to Amsterdam. Flowers treated with around forty chemicals, several of which are strictly prohibited in Europe (do not touch or smell them too much, or throw them in your compost !).
Happy Valentine’s Day to all, with flowers that mean many things, starting with respect for the planet and the living!
In Denmark: little messages of love In Denmark, it is customary before Easter for men to offer their chosen one “Gækkebrev”, small unsigned poetic messages ending in small dots corresponding to the letters of their first names. Enigmatic messages are often accompanied by a snowdrop. The recipient must then find out who sent it to them to win an Easter egg.
Valentine’s Day in Wales In Wales, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on January 25. Lovers traditionally give each other “love spoons”, wooden spoons on which hearts are engraved. Other small gifts: padlocks and keys.© Athena, Flickr CC by 2.0
In Italy, chocolate covered with words of love In Italy, lovers traditionally give each other chocolate for Valentine’s Day, but not just any chocolate. These are the “Baci Perugina”, a hazelnut chocolate coated in a lovely message of love and tenderness.© Free-Photos, CC0
In Singapore, the tangerine ritual for Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day often coincides with Chinese New Year. In Singapore, it is a custom that when they are fifteen, young Singaporean girls write love notes and their phone number on tangerines which will then be thrown either into a stream or a river, while making a wish to find the chosen one.© aotaro, CC by 2.0
Valentine’s Day in France In France, one of the most romantic countries in the eyes of the world, lovers most often offer each other chocolates, flowers or even meet at the restaurant for a special dinner for two. For flowers, there is a language to know: red roses for passionate love, white roses to symbolize the sincerity of feelings and a more chaste love, pink roses to express feminine beauty, sweetness… And when with yellow roses, beware: they are more associated with friendship or a breakup!© Pe_Wu, CC by-nc 2.0; Marisa04, CC0
In Thailand, roses galore for Valentine’s Day In Thailand too, we offer flowers to the chosen one of his heart and most often, they are roses. There, more than the color, it is their number that has a very important meaning. A rose indicates that she is the one and only in his heart, 11 roses mean that she is the favorite, 99 testify to an eternal love… and 108 roses is a marriage proposal. The lucky winner just has to do the count!© Big-Fotoskit, CC0
In Finland, women wear it for Valentine’s Day On Valentine’s Day, the Finns organize a “women’s carry” championship. The men are invited to participate in a race where they carry their companion in their arms. Whoever arrives first wins their partner’s weight in beer!© Kzenon Fotolia, Finmiki, CC0
Romania: Dragobete, the protector of lovers It is not on February 14 that Romanians celebrate couples either. This tradition takes place ten days later and celebrates the impetuous Dragobete, the protector of lovers. The mythological character of Slavic origin also represents spring and awakening nature.© Gavrila Stetco, CC by 3.0
South Africa, the first name on the sleeve for lovers On Valentine’s Day in South Africa, it’s a big party. After a dinner in town, young people go to the ball or discotheque to dance. During the evening, the “Lupercalia” tradition is that women who are in a relationship pin the name of their darling on their sleeves, to signify that they are not free.© BDNEGIN, CC by-nc 2.0
Brazil: the carnival of love In Brazil, Valentine’s Day falls when Carnival is in full swing. But the local equivalent of Valentine’s Day is “Dia dos Namorados”, celebrated on June 12. It is the eve of Saint Anthony, patron saint of marriage (on this day, single people perform different rituals to find love). Brazilians exchange chocolates, flowers, cards, etc. For them, it’s a new opportunity to have a big party in the street as a couple and as a family, by organizing musical performances. Brazilians also celebrate Saint Anthony’s Day.© 12019, CC0
Valentine’s Day in Egypt In Egypt, Valentine’s Day is a very popular holiday. Lovers give each other lots of little gifts.© Pixabay
In Mexico, a celebration of love and friendship In Mexico, as in other Latin American countries, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love celebrated with one’s lover and also with one’s friends. It is customary for men to serenade in front of their beloved’s house and for women to cover their chosen one’s car with messages of love.© Jckmac34, Darvinsantos, JuergenPM, Pixabay, DP; © scharfsinn86, Maksim Pasko, Fotolia
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