the symbolic value of colors 

at all times people were captivated by colorful colors. beyond that, many peoples have also awarded a special symbolism. colors were not only manufactured for decorative purposes. nearly every culture has developed special rules and taboos which particularly have found their expression due to certain dress codes and which are partly valid up to now. very strict demands were set up due to the valid fashion and due to the so-called sense of taste.

china :

to set an example, the imperial family in china was seen as a direct ancestor of the holy sun. through this origin, the family had the right to wear the color yellow as cloths. when, for example, other courtiers were catched while wearing yellow, they had to pay for this action with their life.

islamic countries :

in islamic countries were the islam has his origin is the color green tight connected to the prophet mohammed. the warm green as grass nuance is both for the arabs and the israelis a sign of victory. the saudi arabian flag is as well colored green, but no one of the divine moslems wears green-colored dresses or possesses green-colored carpets.

when in rome, do as the romans do!

the mourning in china is shown by wearing white-colored cloths. however, in the west people are wearing black as their color of mourning. on the other hand, in mexico the decedents are honoured with yellow. the tradition of the cabalistic jewish people connects death with blue. in the middle east the bride wears a dress which is often red-colored. whereas in germany the bride traditionally wears a white-colored dress.

colors have often been used as an indicator for decent or prohibited behaviours.

blue is a sign of the virgin mary and it shows the pure and chaste, especially in catholic countries.

in england, once prostitutes were forced to wear red-colored dresses in public.

in our century pink became the color of gay men. on the other hand, lesbian women have chosen purple as their color of identification.

an old european color taboo forbids to mix blue with green. in the middle ages these two colors were namely worn by jugglers, artists and madmen who were not well integrated and nearly free as a bird. actors and comedians were also rated among the other people listed above.

the doctor also had only a small good reputation, he was also not well integrated in the society. in the nursing care people have worn red-colored cloths but this color was not chosen to have that effect that it hides blood spots. at a greater degree illnesses were seen as evil spirits which were annoying the patient`s soul. the best remedy was to exorcise the demons with the color red.

ancient india :

in ancient india the colour red was even seen as the color of horror. kali, the goddess of death and destruction, shows herself in red.

the middle east :

the color turquoise was in the middle east seen as an appropriate color to protect oneself against diseases and also to protect oneself against the evil eye view.

europe :

in europe yellow was mostly the color of the deceitfulness and insidious diseases. the color of plague was yellow and yellow allways meant terrible suffering.

apart from that the color black symbolized malice and death. to show an example of this, pirates were allways sailing with the so much feared black flag. even the wheelbarrows of the executors were black. that is the reason why we associate cruel punishment when we hear the name of this color, namely black.

colors became a distinctive feature in the political branch, war and later on in sports. it was the color of army banners, flags, uniforms and jerseys, names of political currents and parties or for the marking of rankings in church, state and society.

france :

in france in the 12th century, for example, a complicated and also strict heraldic system was developed for troops. people intended to make it clear which family had done which thing, therefore people had made a special design and also colordesign for weapons, banners, shields and armaments to honour the families of having done something special.

in the heraldic language the following colors stand for the following listed things :

• gold and yellow are seen as honour,
• silver and white are signifying fidelity,
• red stands for bravery,
• blue is a sign of piety,
• green signifies youth,
• purple stands for the royal family,
• black is seen as the color for grief
• and finally orange stands for constancy.

later, these color-symbols were used for imaginative ornaments and pictures. as we go along, the colorful banners with the emblem jewels of the middle ages were bit by bit more stylized. from these mentioned above banners our modern banners come from.

nowadays, total nations identify themselves with certain simple color patterns. whereby the symbolism of colors on the banners due to the middle ages has lost its validity. generally it can be understood that a white flag is a sign of loyality and goodwill but now it signalises surrender.

nowhere like it was in scotland you could find the tight connection between colors and familytraditions and allies. every clan had its own kilt pattern which was predefined. there are hundreds of these different patterns which are a part of a special communication through colors.

folk costumes :

the folk costumes have the same effect like it was mentioned before. each of these colors and patterns has a signal effect and at the same time they can also strengthen the sense of togetherness.

the church :

even the church has developed an own color symbolism. the first christian priests were certainly wearing green or blue-colored coats. the black- colored coat was first introduced in the year 500. at that time, the papacy was able to stabilise and the christendom started to change. the originally rebellious religion of liberalism became step by step a factor of power to suppress heretics. the cardinals began to wear cloths in a purple color, which was in earlier times only reserved to the roman emperor. in 1570 pope pius V laid down firm rules for the use of colors at sacred celebrations. 5 different liturgic colors were recommended in the pope's color canon. even the reformation was not able to change anything about it.

• thus, the color green stands for trinity and sprouting life.
• red stands for the pneuma and martyr
• violet is the color of fast and penance
• the color white honours the happiness and the unity
• and finally black is the sign of death and mourning

therapy of color of karl ryberg mosaik verlag 1992 page 26-30