Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Dhyanas (meditation descriptions of the various deities) always include color -- of skin, or clothing or setting. Color has meaning -- and we should consider the meaning of those colors. The article below is basically a holiday filler piece from Gannett News Service, but nonetheless offers some interesting food for thought: Dec 23, 2003 - Color invokes the power of the world's religions. A single hue has the ability to tell the story of a community's past. It can offer comfort or, when used out of context, make one cringe. Red and green evoke sweet thoughts of everything from marzipan to the Magi. A display of blue and silver says Hanukkah. Orange and black conjure images of the quasi-religious Halloween. Oct. 25 was a day of crimson when Hindus honored Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. For the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, think green, which is the color most closely associated with Islam. So powerful are our spiritual color associations that a Christmas tree will never be decked in orange and black. "It would be like a Coca-Cola can in orange. It makes no sense," says color guru Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the United States. "It's like coming to a winter ball in a bathing suit." Color is about culture. USAGE CHANGED Purple, for example, once represented royalty, but with the industrial revolution and rise of self-made wealth, purple became gauche, says Margaret Miele, senior color psychologist for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. That might be why in the 20th-century purple was accepted into the Halloween color repertoire, she says. Purple has holiday baggage, but so does every color. The emerald green associated with Islam speaks to a people born out of an arid land. Green isn't used because of its attractive wavelength. It's used because of what it represents. Similarly, the blue of Hanukkah appears to come from a biblical reference to weaving a thread of blue into one's prayer shawl. Historically, the blue dye came from a sea snail and so represented the color of the sea, which was part of God's gift of the Israeli homeland. The blue of Hanukkah and the green of Islam are examples of how colors used in religious context are less about the religion and more about heritage. The red and green of Christmas fall into the same category. The official liturgical colors of Christmas tend to be white and gold. Green and red might not tell the story of divine birth, but they do tell a story of the Christian past. Green, experts say, might be a throwback to the pagan winter festivals when greenery was used. Red may represent the influence of the Victorian age. A 19TH-CENTURY ADDICTION People speculate that red represents the blood of Christ or the robe worn by the real Saint Nicholas. Historically, however, Saint Nicholas was just as likely to be portrayed in a blue, green or brown robe. Red, it appears, became more popular in art in both 19th- century England and America, Miele says. Then in 1931, the Coca-Cola company used its signature red color to dress Santa and market its products at Christmas. Ever since, Santa Claus has worn red. In contrast, the use of red in the Hindu celebration of Lakshmi carries a defined religious message. The lotus flower, which happens to be red, symbolizes wealth. The flower is beautiful, but the roots must reach into the mud to create the beauty. Christmas red, however, may have some symbolic meaning after all. One could argue that the color represents holiday materialism, given that it was propelled by Coca-Cola ads. If that's the case, it is fitting that plum and gold have worked their way into the Christmas color scheme. Plum and gold, Miele says, are being marketed to upscale shoppers who view red and green as children's colors. "Color is a cultural experience," Walch says, "and holiday colors allow us to dip into this." Source: "Holidays' hues trace cultural past: Color associations have origin in religion, history," Gannett News Service URL: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/tuesday/lifeentertainment/stories/l i122303s1.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2003 Report Share Posted December 27, 2003 I have inserted comments in brackets... On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 20:20:38 -0000 "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta writes: > > Dec 23, 2003 - Color invokes the power of the world's religions. A > single hue has the ability to tell the story of a community's past. > It can offer comfort or, when used out of context, make one cringe. > > Red and green evoke sweet thoughts of everything from marzipan to > the > Magi. A display of blue and silver says Hanukkah. Orange and black > conjure images of the quasi-religious Halloween. > > Oct. 25 was a day of crimson when Hindus honored Lakshmi, the > goddess > of wealth. [Of course, Lakshmi's "holiday" (Deepavali) is determined by the Moon's phase, and is not Oct. 25th every year...] For the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, think green, which > is the color most closely associated with Islam. > > So powerful are our spiritual color associations that a Christmas > tree will never be decked in orange and black. [Except perhaps in the movie "Nightmare Before Christmas," where Halloween creatures attempt to take over Santa's holiday...] > > "It would be like a Coca-Cola can in orange. It makes no sense," > says > color guru Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the > United States. "It's like coming to a winter ball in a bathing > suit." > > Color is about culture. > > USAGE CHANGED > > Purple, for example, once represented royalty, but with the > industrial revolution and rise of self-made wealth, purple became > gauche, says Margaret Miele, senior color psychologist for the > Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. > > That might be why in the 20th-century purple was accepted into the > Halloween color repertoire, she says. > [Purple is also the color of eccentric old ladies (witches?), and (especially in lighter, lavender shades) of the Gay Rights movement...] > Purple has holiday baggage, but so does every color. > > The emerald green associated with Islam speaks to a people born out > of an arid land. Green isn't used because of its attractive > wavelength. It's used because of what it represents. > [Green of course is also symbolic of Ireland and the Irish Republic. Green is considered the Fairies' color, and represents the Green Man of springtime and vegetation...] > Similarly, the blue of Hanukkah appears to come from a biblical > reference to weaving a thread of blue into one's prayer shawl. > Historically, the blue dye came from a sea snail and so represented > the color of the sea, which was part of God's gift of the Israeli > homeland. [blue and white are the colors of the Israeli flag, and are often used for decorating synagogue paraphernalia...] > > The blue of Hanukkah and the green of Islam are examples of how > colors used in religious context are less about the religion and > more > about heritage. The red and green of Christmas fall into the same > category. [Christmas' red and green probably come from the red holly berries and ever-green needle leaves of winter fir and pine trees...] The official liturgical colors of Christmas tend to be > white and gold. [White and gold are colors of the Vatican flag, and of Catholicism in general...] > > Green and red might not tell the story of divine birth, but they do > tell a story of the Christian past. Green, experts say, might be a > throwback to the pagan winter festivals when greenery was used. Red > may represent the influence of the Victorian age. > > A 19TH-CENTURY ADDICTION > > People speculate that red represents the blood of Christ or the robe > > worn by the real Saint Nicholas. Historically, however, Saint > Nicholas was just as likely to be portrayed in a blue, green or > brown > robe. Red, it appears, became more popular in art in both 19th- > century England and America, Miele says. > > Then in 1931, the Coca-Cola company used its signature red color to > dress Santa and market its products at Christmas. Ever since, Santa > Claus has worn red. [A book titled "When Santa Was A Shaman" proposes that the red and white symbolize the hallucinogenic amanita mushroom, whose alkaloids are passed through reindeer urine before consuming...] > > In contrast, the use of red in the Hindu celebration of Lakshmi > carries a defined religious message. > > The lotus flower, which happens to be red, symbolizes wealth. [The lotus flower in India comes in many shades: white, red, pink, gold, and blue. Lakshmi is most often associated with the pink lotus. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, but lotuses symbolize spiritual aspiration, and purity while being anidst the stagnation of the material world. Lotuses do NOT symbolize wealth.] >The > flower is beautiful, but the roots must reach into the mud to create > the beauty. > > Christmas red, however, may have some symbolic meaning after all. > One > could argue that the color represents holiday materialism, given > that > it was propelled by Coca-Cola ads. [in Hindu symbolism, red represents passion and Shakti/ energy. In Christian symbolism, red represents blood and Christ's suffering. It's a mistake to assume that different cultures have the same interpretation of colors...] > > If that's the case, it is fitting that plum and gold have worked > their way into the Christmas color scheme. Plum and gold, Miele > says, > are being marketed to upscale shoppers who view red and green as > children's colors. [Plum (like purple) is associated with royalty and wealth. Gold is the metal associated with currency and money. I'm reminded of the Three Kings (plum/purple) who brought the Christ child GOLD, franincense and myrrh...] > > "Color is a cultural experience," Walch says, "and holiday colors > allow us to dip into this." > > Source: "Holidays' hues trace cultural past: Color associations have > > origin in religion, history," Gannett News Service > URL: > http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/tuesday/lifeentertainment/stories/l > i122303s1.shtml > > > ______________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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