Symbolism of Colors and their Superstitions

 
Have you ever given much thought to the Color Red, the Color Yellow, or the Color Green? I know that most people think of color as just another shade in the color wheel. There are even people that are color blind. But did you know that colors actually have different meaning in this universe?
 
The symbolism of colors is something that goes back a long way. Even into ancient times have people believed that colors have a mystical meaning and power. Some colors and their meanings are, shades of red, often times referred to as a symbol for not only violence, but also love. Imagine that! lol
 
The color green is normally associated with earthly vegetation, life and decay. But is also looked at as a sign for jealousy. Blue is common with spirituality, cold, defeat as well as calmness. The color Black may suggest something evil or a sign for death. But oddly enough, the color black is also a symbol for fertile soil as well as the sacred stone of Islam.
 
Of course we must know that since colors have their own special meaning in the universe, then they would also have associated superstitions that go along side that. Let’s go a little deeper into a few of these colors and discuss them in further detail.
 

The Power of the Color Red

The color red has always been seen as a positive and powerful color. Seeing how red is the color for blood, then this suggests the color itself is the color of life.
 
For Native American and Chinese cultures the color red may bring happiness, success and great wealth. The Chinese feature the color red in the New Year celebrations. And often times gifts of money will be given that are in red envelopes that have good luck Chinese symbols on the outside.
 
But on the flip side of this, the color red is also the color of the planet Mars. Often times called the “Red Planet”, which is ruled by the Roman God of War. The month of March and the word “martial” are also named after this God.
 

Is the Color Green Unlucky

The color green is considered the color of nature and immortality, and it’s also present on many national flags around the globe. But did you know that the color carries a bizarre superstition with it. Throughout the U.K. and U.S. green is thought to be somewhat of an unlucky color.
 

Records of this superstition go back as late as the 1700s. It’s said that to wear the color green is to bring about death. In 1778 Carl Scheele, a Swedish chemist, was experimenting with the substance known as arsenic. Of course we all know about arsenic right? If not take a look at my post Arsenic, it’s not Just for Killing! But anyway, he actually used arsenic in inventing shades of green he called Scheele’s Green. It really became widely used in making wallpapers and fabrics. Of course Scheele knew that arsenic was extremely toxic, but he never expected anyone to eat their clothes! But come to find out, that if these materials were to become damp, which of course they would, they’re clothes. When submerged in water, these clothes would give off a poisonous gas. This led to many people becoming quite ill and some even died from it!
 
Here’s an interesting tid bit for you. When Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821 on the island of St. Helena, there were rumors his death was a poisoning. He had actually died from cancer as the story goes. But when a lock of his hair was analyzed in 1960 it revealed signs of arsenic. Fast forwarding to 1980. There was an analysis done on Bonaparte’s wallpaper and it showed to contain Scheele’s Green! Humm, maybe the rumors of him being poisoned were right?
 
Needless to say, green arsenic goods finally disappeared in the early 1900s, but I’m sure there are still a few out there that may remember some stories about it.
 

Lovely Color Yellow

Now let’s talk a little bit about the color yellow. Yellow is known as the color of the sun as well as life. There was actually an Imperial Yellow at one time, that only the emperors of China were allowed to use. Even Buddhist monks will wear yellow garbs before changing to orange after becoming a teacher.
 
But have you ever heard of the term, “You’re Yellow!” This means that someone is a coward, and some cultures look at yellow this way. Some also believe yellow to be a symbol for sickness and death. Symbolic would be a leaf turning yellow before dying and falling from a tree.
 
Anyway, this is a little different from my usual posts, or is it? I guess all my topics are pretty random, but either way. I thought some of these things that I’d learned about colors were interesting, so I thought I’d share with you.
 
Any more cool beliefs or superstitions dealing with colors, let me know by leaving a comment…

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