Colours: In India and across the globe
Red with anger, green with envy, white with fear.... these are just some of the ways we associate colours with our emotions. But every colour does have cultural symbolism attached to it and it is different in different parts of the world.
Let us take a colourful tour of the globe to see what these colours mean to us Indians and other cultures of the world.
White: in India is said to repel light and colours and is therefore kept away from all kinds of celebrations, and it categorically stands for mourning. In North America and Europe, white has been seen throughout the pop culture to symbolise purity, brides,weddings and peace.
Red: In India, red symbolises fire and purity, like Goddess Durga, which is why it is a central motif of matrimony in Indian weddings. In North America or Europe, however, it stands for love, passion, excitement and danger. In South Africa, red is famously seen as a colour of mourning, often used as the theme in case of a death or loss.
Pink: in India, as in many parts of North America and Europe, symbolises feminine, young girlish charm and nurturing presence. In Korea, pink is a solid symbol of trust and is associated with security and nurture.
Green: in India and a large portion of South-East Asia symbolises nature, harvests and new beginnings. It, therefore, reflects happiness and God himself. In countries like the USA, however pop culture has given the colour green a somewhat different image, with it being the colour of money and jealousy.
Yellow: As in most of the eastern world, yellow is a colour of honour --- sacred and imperial; it represents masculine power and wisdom. And it is also a colour of commerce --- it represents a merchant. These same colours however speak of cowardice and weakness in European countries. Also, in the western world, it represents caution. In Egypt, on the other hand, this colour is one of mourning and sadness.
Blue: In India, blue is associated with Lord Krishna and represents riches and virtue. Still, more recently, it has also been taken to convey a sense of patriotism and community due to the colour of the Indian cricket team’s uniform. However, on the other side of the globe, blue is the colour of ill health, depression and sadness.
Brown is a colour of mourning and is seen as a manifestation of sadness, and its drab nature makes it a colour of dull despair. In the west, though, it is a colour of the Earth, health and stability. It represents comfort and dependability; it also is a colour of appetite and thus has had immense success in food packaging and advertising in countries like the USA.
Purple: In India, purple or violet is a comforting colour. It is associated with reincarnation. In Japan, as it is in the majority of the western world, purple is a colour of privilege, wealth and prosperity. It symbolises fame, high-ranking positions of authority and royalty.
Black: In India, black is a symbol of barrenness, death and lack of energy; black has been used in India throughout the ages to ward-off evil as it is seen as an agent of evil. In Japan, the story is different. Black is the colour of the night, the colour of mystery, representing it as both a threat and a temptation. In Africa, on the other hand, it is seen as a symbol of experience and wisdom.
