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| Rosa 'Zéphirine Drouhin'8 May 2025 |
One of the wonders of this 21st century for
me is that I can place the word “etymology” in Google and in most cases I can
find a satisfactory answer to my question as to where a word or expression came
from. Today in trying to find ways of writing something to accompany my rose
scans I enquired as to why roses are associated with the Virgin Mary.
The
"Rose Without Thorns": In the 5th century, church fathers like St.
Ambrose and Coelius Sedulius noted that, according to legend, roses in the
Garden of Eden were thornless before the fall of man. Because Mary was believed
to be free from Original Sin (the Immaculate Conception), she became known as
the "rose without thorns".
The Rosary:
The Catholic prayer devotion known as the Rosary derives its name from the
Latin word rosarium, which means "rose garden" or "garland of
roses". Historically, the 150 Hail Marys were compared to a spiritual
bouquet of roses offered to Mary.
Apparitions:
The rose is closely linked to Marian appearances, most famously the 1531
apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, where roses bloomed out of
season in the winter as a miraculous sign of her presence. Wikipedia
I will not reveal my belief related to the above
Wikipedia explanations as to why roses are closely connected with the Virgin
Mary. My political and religious beliefs I keep to myself.
But I will point out that one of the best known Latin-American
saints (and the first saint of the Americas Santa Rosa de Lima is associated
with my birthday on August 31s.
My parents always planned my birthday part in our
Buenos Aires garden in Coghlan, in late 40s and early 50s. Unfortunately a few were
rained out. Why? In Buenos Aires there
is a usual storm on the 30th called “La Tormenta de Santa Rosa” as
that is the saint’s date of celebration.
My Rosemary heard from me that story many times and
she would even point out when it would rain in some of my 52 birthdays with
her.
And to this day I find it musically pleasant to say
out loud, “Rosamaría,”her name in
Spanish.
And yes I have a scan of a rose without thorns (the
correct botanical name is prickles!). That is Rosa ‘Zépherin Drouhin’.
