According to the American Rose Society , they are the modern day expression of the sender's love and respect. This has not always been the case, however. In Greek mythology, the red rose represents desire and passion when Aphrodite spills drops of blood onto a white rose while trying to help her wounded lover, Adonis. Throughout ancient Christendom, the red rose symbolizes the blood and agony of the crucifixion of Jesus. In ancient Persian mythology, a nightingale's self-inflicted breast wound turns a white rose red, changing colors because of the bird's egocentricity.
Pink roses symbolize grace and gentility in modern rose vocabulary.
The pink rose also represents pain, suffering and death in Roman mythology when Apollo turns Rhodanthe into a rose after she unsuccessfully tries to unseat Diana, his sister, as the goddess of the hunt and the protectress of women. The various tones of pink can mean different things, too. White roses symbolize reverence and humility. In medieval Christian Europe, Mary is represented by a white rose as a symbol of her purity. In Wales, white roses represent innocence and silence, and are often placed on the grave of a young child.