Color MeaningBasic Color Theory of different cultures

COLOR MEANING

• Do different colors affect your mood?

Black

• China: Color for young boys• Western: Funerals, death, Halloween (with

orange), bad guys, rebellion

White

• Japan: White carnation symbolizes death• Eastern: Funerals• Western: Brides, angels, good guys, hospitals,

doctors, peace (white dove)

Red• China: Good luck, celebration, summoning• Cherokees: Success, triumph• India: Purity• South Africa: Color of mourning• Russia: Bolsheviks and Communism• Eastern: Worn by brides• Western: Excitement, danger, love,

passion, stop, Christmas (with green)

Blue

• Cherokees: Defeat, trouble• Iran: Color of heaven and spirituality• Western: Depression, sadness, conservative,

corporate, "something blue" bridal tradition

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, Saint

Patrick's Day, Christmas (with red)

Yellow

• China: Nourishing• Egypt: Color of mourning• Japan: Courage• India: Merchants• Western: Hope, hazards, coward

Purple

• Thailand: Color of mourning (widows)• Western: Royalty

Food for thought

• While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing. Blue food is rare in nature. Food researchers say that when humans search for food, they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. When food dyed blue is served to study subjects, they lose appetite.

• Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors. Red is often used in restaurant decorating schemes because it is an appetite stimulant.

Colors & Cultures