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Different Mourning Colors Used Beyond Black
Everyone grieves, but the color that accompanies this practice can come out quite dramatically differently from one culture to another. So far as most people in the Western world are concerned, blacks or dark other tints are what is appropriate in mourning. However, many cultures draw on their own distinct colour palette to express reverence for an absent loved one and their sorrow at losing them.
This article shall explore the various colours used in mourning cultures around the world.
1. White
It is very common in most Eastern cultures that white is a color symbolizing mourning. In the cultures of China, India, and Japan, white represents purity and is also symbolic with the journey of the soul after death. It thus finds its expression through Chinese funereal whites, white flowers used for the remembrance of the dead. It stands for the cyclical nature of life and death; that is, a move to another realm.
2. PurpleTo cultures in other parts of Europe and South America, purple stands both for mourning and respect. It is mostly symbolic of nobility and is often part of the uniforms of the mourning attire for royalty.
Traditionally, in Brazil, for instance, purple is put on during burial rites, which ascribing greater respects and grief over the deceased. It captures dignity and honor associated with the loss in its deep rich color.
3. Red
The semantics of red differ in other cultures, for example in parts of Africa and some indigenous communities. Red is used to communicate mourning. This color could thus be vibrant, welcoming life, activity, and commotion. Red is often used at South African funeral ceremonies to pay tribute to the dead and to give recognition to a person's life. The use of red symbolizes that death is part of the continuum of life and that its memories should be commemorated.
4. BlueIn some cultures, blue is said to be a color of mourning for being a shade that shows calmness and reflection. In Greece, for instance, dark blue is often used in funerals. This is a color that is purported to give a feeling of calmness and to represent heaven, hence soothing those mourned as they go through their grieving processes.
It is also a shade that symbolizes an individual's strong connection with the afterlife, how the living tries to connect with the dead memories.
5. YellowSome African countries, Nigeria included, their Yoruba tribe sees the colour yellow as a mourning colour that signifies celebration and remembrance of life not seriousness. Vibrant and bright yellow depicts joy, happiness and light of living which their deceased brought into other people life. That is how they mourn making sure to remember contributions of the deceased for fun.
6. Green:
In some North American Indigenous cultures, green symbolizes renewal and life. In funeral ceremonies, the act of putting on green may symbolize hope that the cycles of renewal and the spirit of the deceased would continue through nature. It describes connecting the process of mourning to earth and its systems of renewal, indicating an acknowledgment of loss as part of a bigger continuum.
Conclusion
Mourning colours vary significantly between cultures, the sum of the variety of beliefs, values, and traditions.
From the pure white of Eastern belief to the reddish hue of African tradition, each is a symbol of utmost respect and remembrance. If we understand those colors, we are able to see more depth in the mosaic of mourning culture in our world, particularizing a universally human phenomenon of sorrow but honoring the differences.
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