Color and Culture

A color does not mean the same thing everywhere. The meanings in Lessons 2 and 3 are common in modern Western witchcraft. People in other places and times have read the same colors very differently. This lesson shows a few examples, each credited, to remind you that color meaning belongs to people, not to the color.

A few contrasts (mentioned briefly; each belongs to its own culture)

• White: in much of the West it is purity and weddings. In parts of East Asia, including China, Korea, and Japan, white is a color of mourning and funerals
• Red: in China it is a color of luck, joy, and celebration, and brides often wear it. In much of the West red points to love or danger. In Hindu tradition red is also worn by brides
• Yellow: in imperial China yellow was a color of the emperor. In Buddhist traditions, saffron and yellow robes are worn by monks. In parts of the West yellow can mean cheerfulness, or caution
• Purple: in Rome and later in Europe, purple dyes were costly and became a color of rank and royalty. In some places it is a color of mourning
• Green: in many Islamic traditions green is a sacred and honored color. In the West it is also luck, growth, and sometimes envy

Color in religious and ritual dress

Many religions use color to mark sacred times and roles. Christian churches use colors that change with the season (such as white, red, green, and purple). Buddhist monks wear saffron or maroon in some traditions. Hindu ritual and festival dress uses red, saffron, and white. These are other traditions with their own reasons, and the school mentions them with respect and credit. We do not teach them as our own.

What this means for your practice

Use the meanings in this school as a place to start. Where your family, your region, or your heritage gives a color a different meaning, that meaning is real too, and it may be the one that moves you most.