The meanings of colors play an important role in our world. They convey various emotions and significance to people of different cultures. What a color may symbolize to a person of the west, may be very different to someone in the east. While a bride may wear white to her wedding in Europe or the Americas, a bride from China may choose to wear a traditional red dress. We assign colors to the different holidays and seasons throughout the year. Baby boys and girls are clothed in gender specific colors. Schools, sports teams, and nations all choose colors that represent them. Just think of the consideration a person puts into choosing a color to paint their home, or the color of the clothes they wear.
Here are some colors and what they represent to various people of the world:
Red: In China red is a symbol of luck and is used for many celebrations such as weddings and at the beginning of the new year. In India red is a symbol of purity and is used in wedding clothing. In the United States red represents love and is used during Christmas and Valentine's Day. Red also denotes speed and power in the west, which is why it is a popular color for race cars and toy rockets.
Blue: People around the world relate water and the sky with the color blue. For this reason, blue is widely associated with peace, tranquility and calm. Many Hindu Gods are blue. To the Jews, blue is also a color of holiness. To the Cherokees, blue meant trouble or defeat. In the United States we have come to associate the color blue with sorrow. For the same reason, an entire genre of music known as "the blues," got its name for its melancholy nature.
Green: In Paris, all garbage collectors are clothed in green, drive green trucks and dispose of waste in green bins. In many parts of the world, green has become a symbol of natural efficiency and kindness to the earth. In Ireland, green symbolizes Catholicism, and in India it is the color of Islam.
Purple: Purple is known as a color of royalty to westerners. To many Italian performers, purple is a color of bad fortune, and they often do not wear these colors in front of an audience. In Thailand purple symbolizes mourning.
Yellow: Yellow is a color that symbolizes the sun. Yellow can evoke feelings of cheer and happiness, but at the same time can flare a person's anger or frustration. In the United States school buses and taxi cabs are often yellow, because of its high visibility. To the Egyptians, yellow was a color of mourning. In the west it can signify cowardly behavior, while in Japan it is a color of courage.
White: To the Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans, white symbolizes death and mourning. To people of India and in the west, white is a color of purity.
Ask your child what their favorite color is, and what that color means to them. What are some of the things they express about color?
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