What Do the Holiday Colors Mean?
Sam Lutz • December 2, 2019
The holiday season has arrived, and soon every corner will be decked out in red and green. But have you ever stopped to think about what holiday colors mean? Religious connections aside, red and green have long been the go-to color palette for winter and especially Christmas. Let’s find out why.
Green as a Holiday Color
The simple explanation for what green means as a holiday color can be summed up in one word: life. Dating to the early years of humankind, evergreen plants have been a source of beauty and mystery. While all other plant life lies dormant or dies during the cold of winter, evergreens like fir and holly remain. To show reverence to this mystery, which was regarded as both magical and fearsome, green became a symbol of life during the winter and corresponding holiday season.
Another connection? The wreaths hung by the Romans during the winter celebration of Saturnalia. Green and red holly wreaths were traditionally hung on doors as a symbol of rebirth, beckoning the God Saturn and expressing a desire for the return of summer.
Red as a Holiday Color
You can’t explore what holiday colors mean without looking at red, too. On its own or paired with green, the color red has a rich history with the winter holidays. On a base level, the color represents integrity, trust and love, but there’s plenty more to it. At Christmas, red apples became a tradition in performing the Paradise Play, as they were strung to trees to represent good and evil. Sound familiar? That’s because over time, the practice evolved into hanging ornaments on Christmas trees.
Red is traditionally the color of bishops’ robes, too. St. Nicholas, before becoming synonymous with Santa Claus, was a bishop by trade, making it only natural that the big guy wear a red suit as he delivered toys. Of course, Santa had a few iterations before he become the jolly fellow we all know and love today. It wasn’t until a certain soda maker stepped in that Santa adopted a permanent, signature look.
Red, Green or in Between, Ace Paints Has it All
Wreaths, trees, Santa and more. This time of year, the red and green color combination may just be reserved for holiday decorating. When you’re ready for your next paint project, turn to Ace Paints for any hue, be it red, green or blue! Stop into one of our South Hills locations
to select the perfect color.
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