Monday, March 31, 2008
Cultural Color
Research the cultural meaning of a color in a society that exists now, or from the past. You can use works of art, advertising, clothing, et cetera to illustrate. You may choose something from your own culture or subculture if you wish. Write a paragraph describing what you found about color meanings in research.
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Color vs Culture is a very interesting topic I found out while researching. Americans interprate colors very diffrently than cultures across the world. The cultural basis for color symbolism can be very powerful, and an understanding for global culture's use of color is very important. I was shocked when I found out the diffrence of color linked to symbolism, across the world.
RED
China: Good luck, celebration, summoning
South Africa: Color of mourning
Eastern: Worn by brides
Western: Excitement, danger, love, passion, stop
ORANGE
Ireland: Religious (Protestants)
Western: Halloween (with black), creativity, autumn
YELLOW
China: Nourishing
Egypt: Color of mourning
Japan: Courage
India: Merchants
Western: Hope, hazards, coward
GREEN
China: Green hats indicate a man's wife is cheating on him, exorcism
India: Islam
Ireland: Symbol of the entire country
Western: Spring, new birth, go
BLUE
Cherokees: Defeat, trouble
Iran: Color of heaven and spirituality
Western: Depression, sadness, conservative, corporate
PURPLE
Thailand: Color of mourning-widows
Western: Royalty,homosexual
WHITE
Japan: White carnation symbolizes death
Eastern: Funerals
Western: Brides, angels, good guys, hospitals, doctors, peace
BLACK
China: Color for young boys
Western: Funerals, death,mourning, bad guys, rebellion
Color affects
I have not really thought to in depth about color before. I find it to be very interesting that colors mean different things in different cultures. For instance, I chose the color purple because it is my favorite color. In the Native American culture, purple portrays wisdom,gratitude,and healing .In the Asian culture, purple means wealth. In the Western culture, purple is often associated with royalty, wealth, and opulence. I am sure there are many different interpretations of the color purple, but to me it is just my favorite color
Black in general is thought of in terms with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. I feel it is a color of yin and yang, although some see it not as a color but rather the absence of color.
It represents fear, the unknown, and usually carries a negative connotaion of greif (yin).
However, it also stands for authority and strength. Elegance, formality, and prestige go hand in hand with this opposing yet complimenting view of its meaning (yang).
Black used in fashion supposably makes you look thinner or used in art make bright colors pop to convey a certain mood or feeling to the audience. It is a contrst color complementing others drastically.
In China black symbolizes trust and high quality.
In the Elizabethian era black was worn by those dicated by the English law. Colors worn during this era showed social, political, and economic status. Black was also used to reflect Christian symbols.
In dreams it is analyzed to mean fear, depression, no hope/faith, hatred, resentment, anxiety. And when it is mixed with other colors it taints their meaning to be negative as well.
Colors have different meanings. They bring out different emotions. That means the have the ability to change our moods. For example green is the color of fertility, growth, it supposedly is a color of safety, and it is also the color of our money. Green indicates whether we should go or not in traffic. If you see green then you would automatically think to go. So in a sense you would feel safe to go. Green is also used to show a person or something with lack of experience. To say that someone is green in a certain area means that the are new to it or inexperienced in it. Green is also associated with healing and it is the color of peace.
Colors and their meanings is the most interesting topic so far for me. When it comes to art, clothing, shoes, furniture and other things around me, I have always appreciated color the most. Of course, designed and monetary aspect also play a big part of decision making, but now I have more insight as to why color is important to me and why certain things grab hold of my attention without even thinking about it. What I learned was just a short list of cultural meanings of colors, but I still found it to be very interesting.
RED
* China - symbol of celebration and luck, used in many cultural ceremonies that range from funerals to weddings
* India - color of purity (used in wedding outfits)
* Philippines – bravery, love
* Ivory Coast – mourning (dark red)
* Turkey – death
* United States - Christmas color when combined with green, Valentines Day when combined with pink, indicates stop (danger) at traffic lights
* Some Eastern cultures - signifies joy when combined with white
* Parts of Africa - good luck and fortune
* Europe and Australia/New Zealand - danger, warning/alert
* Parts of Europe – masculinity
YELLOW
* Mexico - mourning
* Saudi Arabia - strength and reliability
* United States and many countries – feminine
* Some Asian countries - sacred, imperial
* Western cultures - joy, happiness
BLUE
* China - associated with immortality
* Colombia - associated with soap
* Hindus - the color of Krishna
* Jews – holiness
* Middle East - protective color
* Iran - Immortality
*** Blue is often considered to be the safest global color
ORANGE
* Ireland - religious significance (Protestant)
* United States - inexpensive goods, Halloween (with black)
GREEN
* Indonesia – a forbidden color
* China - studies indicate this is not a good color choice for packaging, green hats mean a man's wife is cheating on him
* Japan – high-tech
* Philippines - nature
* France - studies indicate this is not a good color choice for packaging
* India - the color of Islam
* Ireland - religious significance (Catholic)
* United States - indicates go (safe) at traffic lights, environmental awareness, St. Patrick's Day, Christmas color (red and green)
* Some tropical countries - associated with danger
* Middle East – luck
* South America and countries with dense jungle areas – death
PURPLE
* Brazil - mourning
* Parts of Asian cultures - symbol of expense
* Many Western nations - organic foods, freshness, environmentally friendly, good health, royalty
BROWN
* Colombia - discourages sales
* Nicaragua – disapproval
WHITE
* Japan - white carnations signify death, mourning
* United States - purity (used in weddings)
* China- it symbolizes age, autumn, death, misfortune, virginity and purity
* Philippines – peace and purity
* Some Eastern cultures - mourning, death
* Western nations - cleanliness and purity
BLACK
* China - trust and high quality
* Philippines – bad luck, evil, death
* Western cultures - mourning, death, style and elegance
PINK
* United States - feminine
Researching the significance of colors with culture was very interestiing because I found out what colors are appreciated the most in these cultures. All colors symbolize/have a different meaning tied with the culture. for example:
-White signifies mourning in China and Japan
-Yellow signifies mourning in Egypt and Burma
-Red signifies color of good luck in China and also used in weddings.
In my culture (from Pakistan) the color red is also used in weddings.
Color can basically express people's emotions and is a way of identifying and viewing the environment. That is why people attach certain meanings with colors.
*Ayesha Munaf
We never really put much thought into color. After studying and researching about it, however, I find color to be fascinating! Color is a silent, universal language; it’s a natural work of art that is interpreted differently around the world, within different cultures, and even within the same culture. Isn’t it neat that we all have different favorite colors? Why not all have the same favorite color? My favorite color is black. Black is usually seen as the color of death, and represents darkness or evil. But that doesn’t define my personality whatsoever. Some peoples’ favorite colors say a lot about their personalities.
Until today, I didn’t realize how contradicting the color red is. While being the color of danger, fire, the color of prostitution, lust sin, the color of blood, it is also the color of love. It’s used on stop signs, emergency signals, even brake lights. It’s also the color used most on Valentine’s Day! Red symbolizes sexiness, as well.
Green is also somewhat contradicting, as in Western culture, it symbolizes wealth, money, and greed, while it also symbolizes nature, environment, healthy, good luck, and go (at traffic lights). In some cultures, it is the color of peace, the color of Islam (India).
An extremely interesting fact that I learned was that the Chinese culture, unlike the Western culture, uses white instead of black during funerals to mourn. This is due to the fact that they associate white with the winter time in which nature is dead.
To me a color is a meaning or a way to express your emotion. When taking sociology one studies the meaning s of colors and what they typically mean. For instance the color red in society is a sign of danger or anger; yellow symbolizes: wisdom, joy, happiness and intellectual energy; blue symbolizes youth, spirituality, truth and peace and white symbolizes purity and cleanliness. There are many more colors and they all have meanings these are just some of the most popular among the colors. To me color is what makes up who we are as individuals and our personalities we portray. I think everyone has their own set meaning of colors and what they mean.
-Matt Brookens
Japanese kimonos are worn to compliment the seasons.In the spring, bright colors and spring floral kimono patterns are worn. In autumn, fall colors and fall kimono patterns are worn. In the winter, especially near the holidays, kimono patterns with designs such as the bamboo, pine trees or plum blossoms or worn for they signify good luck and prosperity.
Young unmarried women wear kimono that are very vibrant, colorful and rich with patterns. Older women or those who have married, wear a kimono with designs that are smaller or solid and the colors are more subdued. The men's kimono background color is usually blue, black, gray or brown with contrasting designs.
Researching the significance of colors with culture was interestiing because I found out what colors are appreciated in my culture .
In Turkish Culture
Red means - Deadh . Because We almost losee more than 40.000 soldires fighting with teror in Northen Iraq.
White mean - Pure . We Turkish people belives that white shows elegant and pure.
Black - Unknown Turkish people think that black is unknown or what you can not handle.
thesee was basic 2 clour but it shocked me when people strickly belive them.
Prior to last weeks class, I never really thought of the what the meaning was behind colors of different cultures. When given this assignment, I decided to find out once and for all why strange gothic people find the need to wear black all the time.
The best answers I could research was in fact gothic people just feel the best way to alienate themselves from everyone else was to wear all black. This type of fashion dates back to the death metal days and has now become a very popular social taboo. Gothic people see their all black fashion as a way to transform the body, eliminate their beauty, and to become the opposite of the social norm.
Daniel Abbott
Remember when you were in grade school or even middle school, and had that one best friend? I do, and I remember friendship bracelets and MOOD RINGS! My mood rings always seemed to be green, so I took this time to research the meaning of the colors in the mood ring. Mood rings were extremely popular in the 1970’s and seem to resurface regularly. After all, they are cheap and for the simple minded.
Mood rings are hollow glass that are filled with very sensitive thermotropic liquid crystals. The molecules change position and twist according to your bodies temperature.
“This change in molecular structure affects the wavelengths of light that are absorbed or reflected by the liquid crystals, resulting in the apparent change in the color of the stone.”
This change in body temperature results in the following colors”
-Black: Tense, nervous, overworked
-Gray: Anxiety, nervous, strained
-Amber: Nervous, mixed emotions, unsettled, cool
-Green: Average reading, active, not under great stress
-Blue-Green: Inner emotions charged, somewhat relaxed
-Blue: Relaxed, at ease, calm, loveable
-Dark Blue: Very happy, romance, passion
-White: Frustrated, confused, bored
-Bronze: Jitters, anticipation, restless thoughts
-Pinkish: Fear, uncertain, unanswered question
-Yellow: Imaginative, wondering thoughts or feelings
-Orange: Stimulating ideas, daring wants
-Red: Excited, energized, adventurous, ready to go
-Purple: Sensual, clarity, purpose in known
One example of how this ring works with your body's temperature is , “When you are in a passionate mood, your skin is flushed. This is a physical reaction to an emotion, causing the capillaries to move closer to the surface of the skin and releases heat,” causing the dark blue color in the ring.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question443.html
http://www.moodring.com/chart.html
One of the most interesting colors I have ever researched is the color purple, or more exact, Tyrian purple. The color itself is based in the areas of the Mediterranean and is made by crushing marine mollusks. Now, you couldn't dye a shirt with one snail.. or ten or even a hundred. It took 12,000 snails to make 1.5 grams of the dye! Tyrian purple itself is very dark and is defined as a "symbol of royalty or high office". It gained the status of being the color of royalty, power and wealth because a single pound of dye was often traded for an entire ship of goods.
Of course, only the most wealthy of people in the ancient world could afford it.
Alexander the Great, the emperors of the Seleucid Empire and the kings of Ptolemaic Egypt wore this as their color. Imperial robes of the Roman emperors were purple with gold thread (hence probably why Tyrian purple is also known as imperial purple). Tyrian purple was also the favorite color of Cleopatra who was the princess/queen of Ptolemaic Egypt.
This is also demonstrated in the mosaic of Justinian I in the Basilica of San Vitale as he is clad in the color to represent his power and station.
-Jessica Montgomery
Although colors and symbols are very different accross countries and cultures I find it very interesting how sometimes they can be very opposite such with red, some places find that it means courage and virtue where as in the west it symbolizes many negative things and emotions
However, the color that I found most interesting was Pink.The reason I found pink interesting is because of the impact of a simple doll and the association of a color to attract peoples eyes as a marketing technique. Barbie was created in the 1950's and over the years has become a monumental part of a womans childhood and has forever attached to color pink to a female. I believe they chose the color pink in order to attract a childs eye to the product.
Another interesting fact about pink is that Hitler used the color pink in association to homosexuals during world war two.
I wonder if there could be an association between the two.
The dictionary meaning for color is “The sensation resulting from stimulation of the retina of the eye by light waves of certain lengths” or “a phenomenon of light (as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects”. Color symbolism varies from culture to culture and it is considered one of the most powerful design tools people have. Colors have different impacts in people. Thus, “people respond to different colors in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level”. For example, the color blue means something different from civilization to civilization.
1)Culture 2)Positive 3)Negative
1) American
2) Trust and stability
1) Africa(Zulu tribe)
2) Faithfulness
3) Hostility, dislike
1) Native American(Cherokee tribe) 2) Blue clan
3) North which meant cold, defeat and trouble
1) Native American (Navajo tribe)
2) Blue: Mount Taylor
1) Egyptian blue
2) Blue was symbolic of the sky and of water
3) floods
Color is used in multiple cultures to describe multiple meaning. I chose the German flag because I was born there. In the German flag the colors used are Cadmium yellow, Traffic red and Jet black. The German flag consists of the colors of the coat-of-arms of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
URL for both flags…
http://toddsmods.com/media/german_flag.gif
http://www.kingswinchester.hants.sch.uk/folders/assets/images/fullsize/german_flag.jpg
Yellow- A symbol of generosity
Red- hardiness, bravery, strength and valor
Black- Determination
I havent really looked into colors before but now that i think about it, they bring out different emotions. When i think about the color red it makes me think of anger for example when i see lighter colors, I think of happiness. But mostly when I see colors I try and relate them to sports, like red, Tiger woods always wears red on sunday of every golf tournament, when i see green i think of golf because of all the green grass, and last when i see blue and black i think of the orlando magic. These are just some examples of what i think.
My favorite color is red. To me red reprosents passion, fury, and pretty much any other strong emotion. Red is a powerful color. The most obvious example of reds relationship with power is the red carpet. The red carpet is a place reserved for celebrities and VIPs. These people are given almost a regal status in our society. Red lipstick on a woman has become synonomous with sex appeal. Another place we see red in our society is our cars. Red paint, especally bright red, on our cars seems to associate its self with fast. Red can reprosent a vast array of things, but the reason it is my favorite color is because of the strength it posseses
I have always known that different colors have different meanings, but I have never really stopped to think about where and why. I decided to pick the color green because it is my favorite color. In the 1400's London thought of green as a symbol of natural fertility and many women adorned their body in a green dress. Jan van Eyck in 1434 painted, "The Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife Giovanni Cenami (The Arnolfini Marriage)". That beautiful painting is on page 30.
Green can also be used as a symbol for different countries like India has an Islamic culture and most think of it as a peaceful color. Ireland of course is very rich in nature and it is no wonder that it is their symbol and they are known for, "Their green aisles".
When I think of green I imagine money and the saying "green with envy". I also think of how the U.S. is trying "go green" and recycle more and do more to help preserve the world. To me the color is very calming and I think of being outside in a garden. On page 500 the painting of Claude Monet's, "Bridge over a pool of Water Lilies", is so vibrant that I can't help but to think of new growth and a fresh start every time I look at it.
I learned that in today’s society the best way to sell a house is to have neutral colors on the walls inside and out. By using neutral colors such as light browns, beige, light blue grey colors, and pastels you can create a warm and inviting atmosphere. These colors can turn a house to a home to a home buyer. If you were to use an extravagant color such as orange you could draw all the attention to just the color of the wall instead of the structural design of the house. The bright color may distract you from crown molding or cathedral ceilings and this would be something you would not want the buyer to miss.
I chose to write about the color black. A timeless, classy color many people chose to wear for various reasons. Black is worn at times because it is flattering and slimming,that little black dress just would'nt be the same if it was a different color. Black is worn at a formal dinner for example, at other times it is worn to symbolize death and grieving. Black is the color we associate with darkness and evil when it comes to the villian in a scary movie. It's ushually a dark scene with dim lighting and the killer is generally wearing black, including gloves, ski masks etc. Black is actually an absence of all color. When comparing opposites, you would say " They are as different as black and white." Native Americans thought black was good because it's the color of soil, which symbolized life. Black is the color we use to make things/words appear BOLD.
The Jamacian flag consists of green, gold and black. Each of these colors symbolizes the country in there own way. While all three colors share important signifigance, the color gold in the flag should be noted due to its meaning and tradition. The gold X separating the green and black represents sunlight which is esential for all life regrdless of where in the world you happen to be. The gold color also represents the country's natural wealth which was a blessing to the people from day one. Every color on every flag worldwide contains its own signifigance and gold suits Jamacia just as black and green does.
The color red, is something that stands out to most people. It's a color that catches the attention of many. So when I was researching what this color means, it's more than just a color wich means love or passion, or in some cases anger, and power. This color has a true meaning in some cultures. Red is the color of happiness and prosperity in China and may be used to attract good luck. Red is often the color worn by brides in the East while it is the color of mourning in South Africa. This color is so powerful and can have many affects on people through out the world!
The color blue is one of the most if not the most common favorite color among Americans. In nature, both the sky above and the seas are shades and tints of blue. Here in the west we associate it with several meanings, such as; sadness, tranquility, technology, conservative thought, and of course, our jeans. However, in Eastern cultures, the color blue is far more divine than how we perceive it. In China, the color blue is associated with immortality. In many Chinese films you will see characters often wearing majorly one color, thus, anytime a character is wearing mostly blue, he or she is considered to be very wise. In the Middle East, blue is associated with god and heaven. In Judaism, blue is a color that is closest to God and is used to represent the holiness of something or someone. These cultural meanings for blue vastly differ from ours, and they give us a new perspective of the color us Americans like most.
Color is often not taken into much consideration, but in my research of color in different cultures i see now how much it affects everything. take for instance blue, in almost every culture it means defeat, loss, sadness, an quite oddly enough it can also symbolize tranquility. the color red is considered one that makes people uneasy, like blood, but it could also represent love or hope. green represents life in most cultures, growth development is thought of when we see green.White is considered pure, innocent and clean. black is considered sad, depressing, almost funeral like. While the colors represent different things in different cultures most of them have at least one strong simalerity.
I think that most american citizens just kind of treat color as "oh thats nice", but if you look indepth in other cultures its a big deal. Such as, in Japan if you were to wear white to a wedding with a white carnation you would be looked upon as the bringer of death because white flowers represent death and the Japanese only wear white to funerals. Some colors are the same in other cultures. Green is pretty universally seen as wealth and new life. So it is important to notice the effect that color can play in our and other cultures.
previous post was by grant olsson.
I haven’t looked into colors or researched them before. After reading up on the past history especially in the United States many of the same colors mean the same. Like the color green was always connected to nature and outdoors. Today the color green can still be seen in the same way, like the green cars. When you here about green cars its environmentally friendly. The color blue can symbolize the sky, the earth, or a new baby boy. In other countries colors are symbolized completely opposite like the color blue in China and in Iran stands for immortality. Colors in different cultures and countries are different and may stand for different beliefs and objects of life.
-Alex Santos
Color in culture can mean very different thing. An all red shirt in California can mean something very different, or an all blue outfit. Colors have always stood for something, be it a gang color, or a stop light.
In ancient Greece, they used colors as an expression of wealth. Greeks used different materials to produce dye for their clothing. Brown dye they oak bark, and the average family could obtain it. Pink dye required roots of the herb madder, usually farmed and collected for sale, not available for everyday use, for yellow, stalks of weld; and for blue, dried wood leaves would be used.
Purple was the color of royalty, because only a master craftsman could extract the coloring from shells, huge deposits of these crushed shells still remain in archeological sites.
Colors in culture can mean very different things. An all red shirt in California can offend someone to the point of violence, or an all blue outfit. Colors have always stood for something, be it a cultural thing, a national thing, a personal thing, or a stop light.
In ancient Greece, they used colors as an expression of wealth. Greeks used different materials to produce dye for their clothing. Brown dye they usedoak bark, and the average family could obtain it. Pink dye required roots of the herb madder, usually farmed and collected for sale, not available for everyday use, Yellow required the stalks of the weld plant and for blue, dried wood leaves would be used.
Purple was the color of royalty, because only a master craftsman could extract the coloring from shells, huge deposits of these crushed shells still remain in archeological sites.
In our culture the color of wealth is green.
Color has an indefinite meaning. Color plays a major role in society from fashion, architecture and design, advertisement, and to even portray meaning. My favorite color is yellow, beacuse its different. "Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy." Also, yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning. Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality and light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.
My favorite colors are red and black. I wear them separately to make a bold statement, and often together. Red is the color most often worn by extroverts. It is the color of anger and temper, but also symbolizes passionate love - as in red roses. It is a warm, fiery color that represents life's vitality - blood. Chinese brides wear red to insure prosperity and joy. Black is not really a color, but the absence of color. It does not reflect light, but absorbs it.
Black can symbolize a restful emptiness. Black can also portray a sense of potential and possibility or fearful, bad experiences. People often wear black to appear mysterious and in self control. Early Native Americans believed that black was good because it is the color of soil, which gives life.
Caitlin Brody
I decided to use the colors of the American Flag and what they represent. Aside from it being our flag the colors meanings outside the flag represent different things. The color red Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. With the United States flag, red represents hardiness and valor, the blood that was shed in light of our country; White represents innocence and purity; while Blue represents perseverance, justice, and vigilance. The flag has 13 stripes which are representative of the 13 Original Colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence. The 50 stars that lie on a blue background represent the 50 states that are part of present day America. The Stripes are also representative of the rays from the sun while the stars are also seen as being symbolic of the heavens; the highest place that a person could aim to reach. These colors are very strong and powerful together. Seeing red, white and blue together show power.
A color that really ties in to the American culture a lot is the color red. For some reason it is portrayed as a very hostile color. It is used on stop signs because it catches attention and sticks out from it's surroundings. I think it may serve as a color of hostility because of the things that it is associated with, such as blood. It is definately not a calming color and is rarely used in places like wall color. Many fancy cars are red because it is supposed to make them look faster. Personally, i love the color red.
christina gonzalex
Being intrested in advertising, the color project was very interesting to me. Although it seems like it might be very complicated, it's really very simple. If you get the colors right for the country or culture. Personally, my favorite color is yellow. However, many people favor blue. Maybe because people tend to want things to be calmer. I like exciting things so therefore yellow is a better choice for me. When you use yellow in advertising, it has a similar effect as the color red. It is exciting. It grabs your attention. most of the time people tend to stay away from colors like that. However, if you want to grab attention, you should use bright, vibrant colors. To me, calmer colors like blues and pastles make me more tired than anything. Which would probably make these good in a bedroom setting. I don't travel much so to me color meaning in different places doesn't interest me as much as how color influences people in purchasing decisions and advertising.
When I think of art the first thing that comes to mind is color. Everyone can recognize certain things we use everyday, just by viewing the color of the object. My personal favorite color is green, which in western culture symbolizes "a rebirth," or "a new beginning." In some parts of the world, the colors we have symbolized as something, may mean something completely different in another part of the world. For instance in America the color yellow usually means the slow down or to watch out for something ahead; I read that in Uraguay the color yellow is a symbol of calmness and relaxation. No matter where you look, there's bound to be color.
Emerald green is a very important color to me. It is not only my birth stone, but that of my brother, and boyfriend. I have always been very drawn to it without ever really knowing why. My research helped me to clarify that a little.
I found that in South America ancient Incas and Aztecs worshipped emerald as a holy stone. Most ancient occurrences of emerald were located near red sea. Even in ancient Rome green was the color dedicated to Venus, goddess of love and beauty. In several cultures the emerald was the symbol for fertilizing rain. In the Christian faith it is the symbol of faith and hope. It is considered by many to be the stone of prophecy. For some the emerald acts as a tranquilizer for a troubled mind. The emerald is said to bring the wearer reason and wisdom. The strongest time for the powers of the emerald is said to be spring. Emerald is a stone of great harmony, wisdom and love. Giving your lover an Emerald and it will bring the lover closer if the giver's motives are pure love. The Emerald can be a bridge between two people. Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony. Green is a safe color, if you don't know what color to use anywhere use green. Green is favored by well balanced people. Green symbolizes the master healer and the life force. It often symbolizes money. It was believed green was healing for the eyes. Egyptians wore green eyeliner. Green eyeshades are still used. You should eat raw green foods for good health. Friday is the day of green. Green contains the powerful energies of nature, growth, desire to expand or increase. Balance and a sense of order are found in the color green. Change and transformation is necessary for growth, and so this ability to sustain changes is also a part of the energy of green.
Put some green in your life when you want:
• a new state of balance
• feel a need for change or growth
• freedom to pursue new ideas
• Protection from fears and anxieties connected with the demands of others
Wear green when you want to overcome a sense of thwarted ambition. Green says growth - balance - harmony. It is a color of healthy relationships.
-Beth Shelton
Im not going to be in class today. Is there anything besides the blog that I need to do to prepare for the next class? I am not feeling well.
Everybody has there own interpretations of what color should mean in the different regions of our planet. Some interpretations are similar and others are complete opposites. Color is how you see it and to me there is no limit for color. Flowers are the perfect example. They range in almost every color imaginable but they have no real meaning except for the ones we give them.
Overall, color has many different meanings. These meanings sometimes divide themselves in categories like calming (blue)exiting (red) and unifying (brown)however,I have to choose a single color and black seems like the right decision. For example, in China, that particular color is used to identify young boys. In the western world, it identifies death, halloween and rbellion. Some native Americans use black to symbolize harmony and hearing.For The Apaches, it is the home of the rising sun. Using color therapy, black identifies self confidence, power and strenght.Finally, the color can identify elegance and high cuality. So there you have it. From gender to the rising sun to hollydays and grief. This color has a lot more meaning than I thought so now I like it even more.
Andrea Rodriguez
colors....many people use colors everyday without knowing. for ex. when you match clothing, buy things for home you use colors to match your home,sometimes when you buy food, you want it a certain color.
every person have there own fav. color but most people dont know what they mean. well, in every culture theres diff. meaning to colors.
blue being my favorite color means:
Blue: Relaxed, at ease, calm, loveable
In research, I found out that colors mean different things in all parts of the world but the meanings are all very powerful and crucial to their way of life. For example, the chinese culture mainly uses the colors red, green, white, and yellow to show emotion. If someone is given a gift and it is in a red packaging it symbolizes good luck. Also, the color green in this culture is associated with health prosperity and harmony. However, yellow is associated with death and mourning. In my opinion the Chinese culture uses colors in the most profound way to symbolize their feelings.
Red is said to be the warmest of all colors. Red is al loud extroverted color that seems to be mostly mens favorite. Red can also be a color of anger or warning. In China Red is a color of joy and prosperity. Brides even wear red and front doors are often seen painte red. Roses are red and they symbolize passion and love in America. Mars is Red and the planet is known as the God of War.
I feel that red also give off a distinct energy. It gives off a feeling of warmth and intense heat. It is also the color of blood wich is a reminder of life and death. It almost can have a scary dangerouse vibe to it.
Another color i really like is Blue. blue is the oposite of red. it is the coolest color. It is the color of the sky and ocean. In my opinion, two of the most beautiful things in the world. Blue is the color of insperation, sincerity and spirituality. blue is a very calming color. the egyptians used blue to represent heaven. Blue seems to give off an energy of distance. that is why it is so calming and smooth.
I choose white because in our culture it symbolizes many different things like weddings, pureness, innocence, the white rose Innocence, purity, secrecy, I am worthy of you, silence, friendship, truth, virtue, girlhood, humility spiritual love, but of the soul, reverence, charm, happy love.
White
Japan: White carnation symbolizes death
Eastern: Funerals
Western: Brides, angels, good guys, hospitals, doctors, peace (white dove)
White symbolizes all things that are good and in a world full of bad we need a little good.
I remember being a little girl and seing the medallions on Queen Latifah and Chuck Rocks neck that that the continent of Africa trimmed in gold and the colors of red, black and green. I always wondered ehy those colors were chosen. I googled the colors and I foundthe following: GOLD is for the richness of the people. BLACK is for the color of the people.RED is for the blood shed. Green is for the earth.
The Native Americans are the specific culture which i researched to find out more about cultures and their connection with having colors symbolize things in their lives. The Native Americans sort of viewed these colors as represetning four directions:
Blue represented North which meant cold, defeat and trouble
White was South representing warmth, peace and happiness.
Red was East, the color of the Sacred Fire, blood, and success.
West was black the color meaning problems and death.
Other colors also had special meanings.
Brown was good but yellow meant trouble.
I think the whole idea of colors meaning certain things is great my mom actually says certain colors mean certain things and i can respectfully say to me it makes sense.
In counterculture, the color green is of great significance. In this culture, green isn't only a color, but a way of life- "going green". Green is a very natural earth color. Not to mention the significance of the green herbs to counterculture. Green culture is a culture of it's own. It has everything to do with nature and purserving it.
Kristen Graves
Although it may not seem like such a big deal, color can have a great effect. Subconsciously color can effect your mood and energize you. The meanings of certain colors differ in other cultures and it is important to know these differences. Imagine planning a wedding for an Asian couple. If you put white decorations everywhere people would be uncomfortable. White represents death in Eastern cultures and would not be seen at weddings. These small details can matter a lot and are very important to certain cultures.
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