For something so evident in our very existence, we sometimes take for granted the colours that brighten our day and make our realities so much more spectacular. Things as great as a landscape and as simple as adornments are made so much more intriguing when we add colours, and yet some of us have never really thought about colours in their historic sense. Here are seven colours and their historic meanings:
In western cultures the colour red is used to represent passion and romance. Often men give women red roses as a symbol of their love. And in Jamaica the colour red is compared to fire, which is often used in the local lingua to refer to the non-acceptance of a behaviour or action. However, in the Chinese and Eastern cultures red is worn at weddings and represents prosperity and good fortune.
Many might argue that black is not a colour but a shade. Yet, in our conversations we will describe humans as either black or white, depicting their skin tone. So for the purpose of this article, we will call black a colour, which for us in the Western world is synonymous to strength and describes the pride of our people. We feel empowered by accepting our black skins, which is highly celebrated in the Rastafarian faith. Yet in many other countries, like India and the Middle East, it represents darkness, while in Judaism it means bad luck.
Orange represents bad luck, but for Hindus it is a sacred colour. For people from the Netherlands, it is the colour of the royal family. In our local context, the colour orange is not a very popular one outside of politics. In Jamaica it is the colour of the political party the People’s National Party.
Green is one of those colours that, no matter what culture you are from, it has the same or similar meanings. Although green is associated with money in the USA and is often referred to as just ‘the greens’, it primarily represents growth, fruitfulness, vegetation and celebrations. But for countries like Indonesia, it is forbidden. An Indonesian legend of a mythical queen called Nyai Roro Kidul would explain.
Some would describe the sea as being blue, which depicts serenity and peace. It is widely accepted in the Western Hemisphere to represent calm. Additionally, blue is the colour for boys; it is a masculine colour. Yet in some cultures it is used to describe our feeling, using it to express depression and sadness.
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