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Colour in Symbol and Ritual Humankind has always regarded colour as having great symbolic and religious significance. To the first humans living outdoors, the colours of day and night were all-important. During daytime our ancestors were able to hunt and protect themselves from enemies, so the red Earth and the yellow sun came to symbolize life, while the blue-black of night related to passivity and quiet. Darkness was also frightening and dangerous, so black was associated with death. For some societies, certain colours acquired particular importance - for instance, the Maori distinguish many hues of red, while the Inuit perceive many shades of white. In our urban society, we have come to distinguish many grays. Social respect and status were marked by a variety of colours in Ancient Greece. Natural scientists such as Empedocles and the Renaissance physician Paracelsus also considered colour the soul of life and the root of all existence; the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water were given the colours of yellow, black, red, and white respectively. Finally, many contemporary artists and philosophers have attributed spiritual qualities to colour. These extremely intense "subtle bodies" of colours cannot be seen with the eye, but only with the inner vision as the "third eye" opens. White is linked to intelligence, yellow to spirit, green to imagination, and blue to intuition. Red
Orange is the colour of love and happiness to the Chinese and Japanese, while the orange robes of Buddhist monks represent humility. In some portrayals of the Garden of Eden, an orange rather than an apple is shown on the Tree of Knowledge. To the Hindus, and to Christians too, the colour yellow signifies Life and Truth.
This is the colour given to the Virgin Mary, known in popular European Catholicism as the "Queen of Heaven," who is often shown with a royal blue cloak. In Greek and Roman mythology, the sky gods Jupiter, Juno, and Mercury were associated with blue. In the Old Testament, God the Father was also represented by a deep blue. In Islam, blue or turquoise is the colour of the Islamic religion and community, and often decorates mosques. Blue also symbolizes peace, truth, and cooperation, and is used for the flag of the United Nations and the background of the European flag.
The rich hue of purple has always been associated with royalty and also spiritual authority. Kings, emperors, and priests are clothed in purple gowns. The is partly because in ancient cultures only the wealthiest could afford the expensive purple dyes for cloth. It was often the custom to wrap a newborn baby in purple cloth to encourage prosperity and success.
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According
to Hebrew tradition, the name of Adam, the first man, means "red"
or "alive," and still today, in some Slavic languages, red
denotes "living" or "beautiful." To the Ancient
Egyptians, red was the colour of Ra, the sun God, and later in Roman
times it was linked to Mars, the God of War. To this day, red is still
associated with war; red and black were adopted as the colours of the
Russian Revolution and later in the 1930's by the Nazis in Germany.
In
both European and Chinese tradition, green is associated with spring
and new growth. Green also represents the spirit and the fertility of
nature, giving Northern Europe the mythology of the Green Man, while
to the Ancient Greeks it was the colour of Venus, the Goddess of Love.
Islam also holds the colour green as sacred, for in its tradition Allah
is present in nature but never shown in human form; green was therefore
the colour of the prophet. In Christianity, St. John accredited Jesus
Christ with a rich emerald green, which is also the colour of the Trinity.
Black
is the colour of the planet Saturn, and the Roman God of Agriculture
whose midwinter festival later became Christmas. In Ancient Egypt it
was the colour of Isis, the Black Virgin Goddess who symbolized the
fertile black earth of the Nile, so black cats were considered sacred
in Ancient Egypt. This tradition was later brought to Europe.