COLOURS MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT CULTURES

 

Roses are red, violets are blue, colours should mean the same for me and you! But unfortunately they don’t.  The colours themselves mean different things and bring out different emotions in different cultures and different countries! Blue means I'm sad, and red means I love you! In a blue mood is melancholy personified and expressing love with a red rose is legendary, but not in all cultures!

One of the bonuses of living in a world of color is that all our emotions are evoked by these bright hues we see all across our day to day lives. There is a deeper psychology to the meaning and power of different colors, whether you're looking to decorate your home or office, create astounding works of art, or simply buying someone flowers! 

Much like with all things in this world, colors gain more diverse and specific meanings as you travel across the globe. A color that means sadness on one side of the planet may mean pure joy on the other! A purple scarf would be the perfect gift in America but in Brazil, it could be deeply offensive! In some cultures, white represents innocence, but in others, it can represent death! So colours carry deep meanings with them in every culture. Western, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, Indian, and African cultures have stark differences in the symbolism of colours within their cultures.

Let's take a quick ride around the globe and see what pictures different cultures paint with all the different colors!

Red

Red symbolizes excitement, energy, passion, action, love, and danger in Western cultures. It's also associated with communism and revolution in countries like Russia and China. In Asian cultures red is a very important colour — it symbolizes good luck, joy, prosperity, celebration, happiness, and a long life. Iranians see it as a symbol of courage and good fortune, and red items in Egypt are considered lucky items! Indians revere the color as one of immense power, representing fire, wealth, beauty, seduction, fear, and even love.This is the colour that is often accompanied by vibrant sounds and some sensual images. What’s there not to like about red?

Well, in African countries red can be associated with death and aggression in their society. It is classed as the colour of mourning in South Africa, while in Russia it is strongly linked to communism. On the South African flag, it represents the sacrifices made in violent efforts to gain independence.  So this is a powerful colour that stokes emotions and needs to be used carefully in any country or culture.

Yellow

When you see the color yellow, your mind goes to sunshine, harvests, warmth, and happy feelings. The people of Egypt similarly associate it with good fortune and joy. In Africa, yellow symbolizes gold and is worn by people of high rank. The yellow is the colour most often associated with the deity in many religions (Hinduism and Ancient Egypt). Yellow in traffic lights and signs indicate caution all over the world. While this is seen as being warm and happy in most Western Cultures, it is the colour of envy in Germany. In France it can be seen as meaning weakness and betrayal. And adult movies in China are termed as “yellow movies”, so don’t be fooled by that term! 

In Egypt yellow signifies happiness and good fortune while in China it is the colour that represents harmony and in Thailand it is a lucky colour. All in all, it is one of the colours that is least likely to upset anyone, unless they hate the Simpsons or are allergic to bananas.

Blue

Blue is the third primary colour. It spiritually signifies the Healing Power of God. It is the most sublime colour which represents biblically, the Word of God. This is another safe choice of brand colour in most parts of the planet. Although it is often associated with sadness, blue doesn’t have many negative cultural connotations in different parts of the world. This is presumably why so many global brands use blue in their logos.

Having said that, Pepsi Cola ran into problems in South East Asia when they changed their vending machines to a light shade of blue that is commonly linked to death and mourning there. However, in other parts of the world it is seen as being a peaceful, healthy colour. It can even repel evil and offer protection in some Arab and Mediterranean cultures, especially in the form of a blue talisman to ward off evil eye curses.

Blue is a color with many meanings in America and other western countries. To have “the blues” is to feel melancholy, but it also represents royalty, as in the term “blue blood”. Across North America, it is meant to represent authority, trust, and security. That representation is shared by Middle Eastern countries, who also relate it to immortality and heaven. While we may associate it with baby boys, China views the color as more feminine. Latin Americans see it as a sign of good health and hope. 

Orange

Mix red and yellow and you get orange, but it has a whole different meaning from its parent colours. This warm colour is sacred in the Hindu religion and also represents fertility in Colombia. It is a particularly powerful tone in Eastern countries, where it is a symbol of love, health and happiness. In Ukraine it is a sign of bravery but in Egypt it brings to mind mourning.

This strong and vivid colour is used in a number of logos and the fact that it is so easily seen and recognised means that it is useful in safety settings and to warn of rising danger levels. Put some orange on screen, add a character voice with some vibrancy and people will pay attention.  Darker shades of the colour are said to bring to mind deceit and distrust, though. Orange represents autumn, harvest, warmth, and visibility in Western cultures. In Hinduism saffron (a soft orange colour) is considered auspicious and sacred. In Eastern cultures orange symbolizes love, happiness, humility, purity and good health. We also associate orange with curiosity and creativity while Japan and China see it as a sign of humility, happiness, and good health, which is likely why Ramkrishna Mission’s monks and Buddhist monks wear orange robes. The royal family of Netherlands as well as the Indian flag bears the color proudly making it a status symbol and national symbol respectively.

Colombians typically associate it with fertility and sexuality. Highly adventurous and extroverted, wearers of orange not only lean toward sexual fantasies but making those fantasies come true! While impulsive and risk-taking, orange also connotes great communication and positive spirit.

Green

We get green by mixing blue and yellow and this represents nature, environment and environmental activism. It is the traditional colour associated with Islam. It is the national colour of Mexico and represents good luck. In western countries, it also represents envy, one of the seven deadly sins, and the dreaded green-eyed monster. On the flip side, the Irish associate it with good luck, Saint Patrick, and leprechauns, and it is one of their national colors. Many Asian countries associate it with new life, health, and prosperity but on the other hand, it can be linked to infidelity in China as well as to jealousy in other cultures. A man wearing a green cap in China suggests to others that his wife may have been unfaithful! Overall, this colour is unlikely to offend in too many places.

Purple

When we mix red and blue we get purple and it combines the stability of blue and passion of red. Americans view purple as a color of honor, and courage - the Purple Heart, in the Armed Forces. In England and France, it is symbolic of royalty, usually seen on regal robes worn by the members of the Royal Family. It is also associated with fame, wealth and richness as the dye was once very rare and expensive, and could only be afforded by the rich and powerful. Purple also represents nobility in most Asian cultures.

Be careful wearing anything purple in Thailand or Brazil, though, because it is a representation of mourning. In fact, in the South American nation, purple is considered appropriate to wear solely at funerals. It is also believed to be colour of sexually deprivation and frustration.

White

The first thing anyone thinks of when they think “white” in a western country is “wedding”, a bride in her beautiful gown, a symbol of purity and elegance. It is also related to calmness and cleanliness. Peru also sees the color very viscerally, associating it with angels, time, and good health. Most Asian countries, however, like China, Korea, and India, relate the color to bad luck, death, and mourning, often being donned at funerals and last rites. A white feather or a white flag can also mean cowardice or surrender too.  

Black

In Western cultures, black has dual implications: on one side, it is associated with formality and sophistication, but on the other side, it's also related to mystery, mourning, and evil. Africans hold black as a symbol of masculinity, maturity, and age. Middle Eastern countries also have varied interpretations of the color, representing mourning on one hand and rebirth on the other. Black is seen bringing bad luck in India and ‘a black day’ is an unfortunate day and ‘blackening of one’s face’ is a sign of disgrace. But strangely mothers put a black smudge on their baby’s temple to ward off evil spirits!

Pink

Pink is a color normally associated with femininity, love, tenderness, and the arrival of a baby girl. In Japan, the color is more frequently associated with men. It is considered as a “foreign color” in China as it was introduced to the country by other cultures, and in Korea, it symbolizes trust. 

Brown

Brown is stable, dependable and wholesome, as association which comes from the colour of grains. In Chinese horoscopes, brown is used to represent earth but in other Eastern and Asian cultures it is associated with mourning.

So why do you think it is important to understand the colours and what they mean to different people and different cultures? It may not only result in a nasty experience for an unsuspected tourist but it may result in huge commercial losses if companies fail to choose the correct colour when they launch their products in foreign markets. A Japanese two wheeler company had to withdraw an entire shipment of scooters from their Indian market because they were black in colour and no one in India was keen to buy an unlucky scooter! So, which colours are best used and which are best avoided in certain places are vitally important to the manufacturers. And you thought colours were only important when you visited a florist to choose flowers for your partner!