Red in the East and Asia is about good luck, happiness, prosperity, celebration and more. Brides wear red on their wedding day. On holidays and other days of celebration, red envelopes with money are given out. In the Middle East, red is all about good luck and good fortune.
China sees the sun as red, so think fire. In the Chinese culture, red symbolises summer, happiness, joy, luck and love. It is also used to protect against evil. Remember the opposite and/or complementary nature of Chinese symbolism. The colour is used in praising and celebrations. At such times, red envelopes or packets with money and treats are given to children and celebrants.
Red & Gold Across Cultures
Colour is an important part of life. It represents fun (just ask any Man U supporter.) It means emotional calm (there’s a reason school classrooms and hospital rooms are painted light blue and pale green.) Colour is used to make a brand instantly recognisable (think of the red and white of Coca-Cola, the green and yellow of Subway, and the bright orange of Easyjet).
The Psychology of Colour
Certain colours make us feel a certain way. Red, for example, is the colour of fast cars, emergency vehicles, sexy lingerie, blood, fighting, stop signs, and energetic activities. Yellow, on the other hand, is the colour of babies’ jumpers, sunshine, spring flowers, happiness, and is displayed prominently in childcare centres and primary school classrooms. Green, to most people, represents, nature, growing things like fruits and vegetables, money, and healing.
However, most people aren’t aware of the psychological impact of colours. There are five colours wielding an effect on the human psyche: red, blue, yellow, green, and violet. Red represents the physical body. It influences the body, mind, courage, strength, the “fight or flight” defence mechanism, stimulation, warmth, and energy.
Since we are focused on red and gold in Chinese culture, we’ll stick to those. Yellow or gold is the colour of emotions, of confidence, of emotional strength, friendship, creativity, and self-esteem. Yellow or gold signifies youth, a new beginning, and freshness.
People generally don’t recognise the influence of these two colours as the recognition of worth, of something or someone to admire and hold up as an example. The “red carpet” treatment, the “golden statue” of early religious efforts to capture the essence of a goddess. To this day, only red is used as a passage from the outside into a building wherein awards are being given, a meeting of important people is going on, or something special such as the opening night of a play. To this day, we all obey the “golden rule.”
Colour, What’s Colour?
Did you know some peoples around the world have no word for “colour?” Some peoples live their lives, pointing to an object and using the word for that object. They don’t say, “please bring me that blue pottery bowl.” They say, “please bring me that bowl,” pointing to the one they want. Aboriginal peoples, peoples in the heart of the Amazon, peoples in the high mountainous regions of South America and others have no concept of colour.
What Does Colour Mean Around The World?
This picture is completely alien to a Westerner. However, we in the West didn’t originate the idea of colour. Red represents spirituality in the East. Russian cathedrals and Chinese temples are red. There’s a reason a Russian cathedral sits on “Red Square.”
Red in the East and Asia is about good luck, happiness, prosperity, celebration and more. Brides wear red on their wedding day. On holidays and other days of celebration, red envelopes with money are given out. In the Middle East, red is all about good luck and good fortune.
Gold is the colour of churches in Mexico. Portugal’s trolleys are yellow. Germany thinks gold is the colour of envy. In the Middle East, gold is about happiness and fortune. For the most part, the colours red and gold mean about the same in the West as in the rest of the world.
In many ways, Chinese culture relies on balance. Many have heard the term and practice feng shui. Lots of people recognise the opposite yet complementing balance of yin and yang. Additionally, the seasons are even balanced with special honours attached to gold or metal (Spring), wood (Summer), fire (deep Summer), water (Autumn or Fall), and earth (Winter.)
Yin is the female half of the balance, while yang is the male half. Yin is cool and passive, but yang is active and full of life. The five elements must be balanced also for life to be right and proper. Red represents fire and is yang. Gold represents earth and is also yang. Both must be balanced with its corresponding yin or colour.
China sees the sun as red, so think fire. To a Chinese, red symbolises summer, happiness, joy, luck and love. It is also used to protect against evil. Remember the opposite and/or complementary nature of Chinese symbolism. The colour is used in praising and celebrations. At such times, red envelopes or packets with money and treats are given to children and celebrants.
A “red letter day” and the “red carpet” is the same to a Chinese as to a Westerner. Special days and holidays receive the same honour and are decorated with the same intent: red. Special persons, special events, and special honours receive the red carpet.
The emotion of the word red is the same for a Chinese as for a Westerner. The Chinese “see red” as well as we do when we are angry. The red face of blushing embarrassment is the same. The red of danger and emergency is the same for a Chinese as for a Westerner. The term “red light” signifies danger of some sort, while Chinese and Westerner alike stop a car at a red sign.
One of the things a Westerner might not understand is the symbolism of red regarding political matters. It’s been several hundred years since revolutionaries turned American soil red with the blood of patriots and British alike. On the other hand, revolution has happened in the East far more frequently, but just as bloody.
Russia isn’t largely in the East, but its revolutions saw the rise and success of the coldly feared “Red Army.” The Chinese made their own revolution, read their copy of “the little red book” of Chairman Mao, and saluted their own red flag. Lots of people still call it “Red China”. During this period, walls and doors of political offices were painted red.
Gold In The Chinese Culture
In Chinese culture, yellow or gold is identified with the element earth and the direction centre. Yellow or gold is yang. The Chinese word for yellow is “huang,” a word closely resembling the word for royalty. It follows, therefore, that for thousands of years only royalty was allowed to wear any shade of yellow or gold.
It began in the reign of Huang Di, also known as The Yellow Emperor, in the years 2697 BCE to 2598 BCE. Believed to be the ancestor of the Han peoples of ancient China, his armies paid tribute to the Yellow Earth (the practice of farming) and the Yellow River in the centre of the country. During his reign, medicine, industry, finance, and the Chinese calendar were developed. His wife developed the weaving process for silk. At the end of his life, it is said a yellow dragon came to carry him into the afterlife at the express will of the gods.
For the Chinese, these ancestors are just as important as their present families. Ancient rules and aphorisms, colours and their corresponding directions and elements all combine to give modern Chinese people a guide for a productive life. For example, ancestral emperors living in the Forbidden City, an imperial complex in the heart of Beijing, were considered Sons of Heaven. Their special connection with the yellow earth gave them sanctity.
Their ancestral home proves this out. Visitors will see yellow roofs on temples, halls, and living quarters. The Ming Dynasty even established laws that stated yellow could only be used for emperors’ tombs, temples, and palaces. Yellow robes with dragons became the accepted garb for emperors.
Imperial servants and advisers even lived in quarters with yellow roofs. The walls of the Forbidden City’s grand halls were coated in yellow clay found in the Hebei Province so that all could plainly see the Imperial colour.
To this day, yellow or gold is only paired with red as a trim or accent. Invitations to a wedding might be printed on red paper, but they’re trimmed in yellow or gold. Both symbolise the love, happiness, and joy between the affianced couple.
Gold also symbolises wealth and prosperity. When Chinese New Year comes around, an older person gives a younger person a red envelope, discussed above, as a blessing to the younger person. Visitors also receive two oranges as a sign of prosperity and goodwill.
Red & Gold Banqueting Chairs
Ever popular banqueting chairs used in all venues for weddings, conferences and corporate events in a range of venues from hotels, restaurant to exclusive conference facilities.
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