The Meaning of the Colors of Christmas
- Everlasting Green, Symbolic of Life. Plants are a universal metaphor for the cycle of life and spiritual renewal.
- Rosy Red of Santa and of Love. From Santa's cozy suit to Rudolph's glowing nose to ribbon-framed wreaths, red is the...
- Radiant White of Purity and Truth. With much of the Northern Hemisphere blanketed in snow, white is...
What are the five traditional colors of Christmas?
What are the Christmas colors, and what do they mean?
- Red. This deep hue symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ, the person whose birth the holiday celebrates. ...
- Green. Evergreen plants like holly and mistletoe are used at Christmastime to represent Christ’s life and eternal nature.
- Gold. ...
- White. ...
- Purple. ...
Which Christmas colour is your Christmas spirit?
Your Christmas spirit color is white, the color of snow and winter. You enjoy this time of the year because of the change in weather and slower pace of the holiday season. You're not the Grinch, but you also don't spend the season obsessing over Pumpkin Spice Lattes, over-the-top decorations, Black Friday shopping, and nonstop Christmas music.
What are symbols for Christmas?
When everything seems dead outside, the Christmas tree is a poignant reminder that the hope of Jesus is always alive—both inside our homes and hearts. The Christmas tree is a befitting symbol of Jesus’s birth. Full of life and promise, trees signify the hope and new beginnings that we often associate with the Nativity.
What is the symbolic meaning of Christmas?
“Christmas is about change. It’s a time we open our hearts before we open our presents.” (Toni Sorenson) The traditional purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, who is a symbol of love, light, hope and peace.
What do Christmas colors represent?
While red and green top the charts during the jolliest time of year, gold, blue, and white often follow suit. Gold symbolizes the gift from the three wise men, blue represents Mother Mary and the rich blue robes she was often seen in as a result of her wealth, and white links to the purity of Jesus himself.
What are the 6 colors of Christmas?
The Colors of ChristmasGreen. Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. ... Red. As mentioned above, an early use of red at Christmas were the apples on the paradise tree. ... Gold. ... White. ... Blue. ... Purple.
What do the colors red and green mean for Christmas?
Green, for example, represents the eternal life of Jesus Christ, just as evergreen trees remain green the whole winter long. Likewise, red represents the blood shed by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.
What are the real Christmas colors?
Many Christians believe red and green were inspired by the life of Jesus, whose birth Christians celebrate on Christmas. Green, for example, represents the eternal life of Jesus Christ, just as evergreen trees remain green the whole winter long.
What are the Christmas colors for 2022?
Christmas decoration trends 2022 The feelings of warmth, security and tranquility are reflected in the colour combination of bright crimson and dark fir green. Dark blue and black add a graceful depth to the theme, which is enhanced by gold and white accents. Traditional Christmas motifs round out the festive mood.
What are the 4 most popular Christmas colors?
Although red, green, gold, and silver are the favorite choices for Christmas decorations, almost any hue can create a beautifully decorated home for the holidays.
Is purple a Christmas color?
This rich shade may not be at the top of your list when you think of Christmas colors, but it is the main color of Advent, the period before Christmas, when Christians fast and repent in anticipation of Christ's birth. Purple symbolizes royalty, luxury, and a sense of magic or whimsy.
Why did Santa change from green to red?
The idea was to ensure people continued to drink Coke during the winter months, as the drink was associated with warm, summer days. The red suit was a convenient feature of the character as it matched the advertising colours of the company.
What is the meaning of blue Christmas?
Blue Christmas is a Western Christian tradition that happens on or around the longest night of the year, usually December 21 the Winter Solstice. It is about comforting fellow Christians who are grieving and struggling to find joy and hope during the season.
What is the Christmas color for 2021?
What is the color theme for Christmas 2021? The color theme for Christmas 2021 is all about joyful brights in both traditional colorways as well as contemporary alternatives such as magenta and blue are going to really bring the fun to your celebrations.
What does a green Christmas mean?
A Christmas with no snow on the ground, the opposite of a White Christmas.
How many Christmas colors are there?
12 ColorsThe 12 Colors of Christmas.
What are the Christmas colors for 2021?
What is the color theme for Christmas 2021? The color theme for Christmas 2021 is all about joyful brights in both traditional colorways as well as contemporary alternatives such as magenta and blue are going to really bring the fun to your celebrations.
How many colors are there on a Christmas tree?
The 12 Colors of Christmas.
Is gold a Christmas color?
Gold, a traditional Christmas color, represents the gift of gold given to baby Jesus by one of the wise men, and silver represents the star, which the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus. Christmas white originates from white communion wafers hung on paradise trees.
Is blue considered a Christmas color?
Blue is the world's favorite color so it's no surprise its welcome to the Christmas party. The color blue was extremely hard to make so it wasn't part of early Christmas decorations. But blue was an obvious choice for Christmas because of winter. Blue is often associated with cold and ice.
Why is red a Christmas color?
Red has long been a powerful color associated with fire, spiritual awakening, and the blood of Jesus Christ, whose birthday is celebrated on December 25. Christmas trivia fans know that holiday is believed to have evolved from old pagan traditions. Early Europeans celebrated the increasing hours of daylight that would occur beyond the shortest day and longest night of the year, known as the winter solstice. The ancient Romans also honored Saturn, the God of Agriculture, in the weeks leading up to the winter solstice with parties, drinking, and eating.
How did white become a Christmas color?
White has long been associated with peace and innocence in many cultures and religious traditions. Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, is often portrayed as wearing white garments in art, lending the color a strong association with purity.
What does silver have to do with Christmas?
Silver is another precious metal that’s long been valued and traded by cultures around the world. Evidence dates to silver mining all the way back to 3000 B.C. in what is now modern-day Turkey. Silver is considered symbolic for divinity in Christian symbolism, again referencing the birth of Jesus.
What about green?
Evergreens had special meaning to ancient peoples because they stayed vibrant through the darkest days of winter and helped them think ahead to the rebirth of the earth in the spring. Just like we do today, these civilizations would hang evergreen boughs over the doors and windows during the colder months. It’s also believed people thought these boughs were able to help keep away evil and sickness. With so many different reasons to display greenery during the winter, it didn't take long for the color to catch on as a symbol of the holiday season.
What do the colors of Christmas mean?
Christmas Colors: what do they mean? Decorating for Christmas is a part of most family traditions. Fighting over who gets to put the star on top of the tree or forcing the kids to help untangle the lights is all part of the “fun”. No matter how your family celebrates Christmas, there’s no doubt your home is decked out in red and green.
What is the most popular color of Christmas?
Even though Christmas takes place in the middle of winter, green is everywhere. From our Christmas trees to the wreaths hanging from our doors, green is probably the most prominent color of Christmas. Evergreen plants are an obvious choice for winter decoration, because they never lose their color. Pine trees, holly, ivy, ...
Why is gold used in Christmas decorations?
But when it comes to Christmas gold has a few other mentions. Because sunshine is scarce in the winter have gold decoration in homes were thought to bring warmth. The color gold is considered to represent royalty and wealth. Poor people who couldn’t afford gold colored decorations substituted yellow.
Why do Christians cover their homes with white?
Christians covered their homes with white to represent the welcoming of Jesus’ birth. Blue. Blue is the world’s favorite color so it’s no surprise its welcome to the Christmas party. The color blue was extremely hard to make so it wasn’t part of early Christmas decorations.
Why do people wear white for Christmas?
Everyone wants a white Christmas. In ancient Egypt and Rome priestesses wore white as a symbol of purity and innocence. During winter festivals priestesses would wear all white from head to toe in order to welcome the coming spring. White wafers were used to decorate trees in the 18th century.
Why is Santa's suit red?
But probably one of the biggest reason red is popular in holiday directions is Santa’s suit. Despite the internet rumor the suit wasn’t created by Coca-Cola. The legend of Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas of Smyrna. St. Nick was a bishop in Turkey who was known to be generous to the poor and children.
What is the difference between red and green?
Green is regarded as the promise of life and spring. Red. As I mentioned above, red has long been a part of winter festivities mostly because of fruits. Apples and holly berries were readily available during the winter months, so in order to make things more vibrant the fruits were used as decorations.
What is the symbol of Christmas?
The pairing of red and green, which has become the iconic symbol of Christmas in the secular culture, has its roots in ancient pagan and early Christian traditions. However, the Christian Church honors the celebration of the birth of Jesus with its own liturgical colors: white and gold.
What is the most popular color for Christmas?
From Santa's cozy suit to Rudolph's glowing nose to ribbon-framed wreaths, red is the most visible color of the season. The vibrant shade has strong cultural associations with love, health and power. Winter greenery that sprouts red berries, such as holly, is especially popular at Christmas. Santa's red suit originated with St. Nicholas of Myrna, a red-robed Greek bishop who gave presents to children during the fourth century, notes the encyclopedia "Religions of the World." Red is also a powerful religious symbol used to represent the death of Jesus and the passion of the Holy Spirit.
What does the color white represent?
With much of the Northern Hemisphere blanketed in snow, white is a natural color to represent winter . It is also important to the Christian Church, which uses the hue to portray purity, joy, forgiveness and the light of God. In Revelations 3:4-5, the Bible states: "They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white." Christ is welcomed into the world on Christmas Day with the church altar draped in a white cloth. The white light of candles symbolizes God's truth, and the sparkling white lights that sit atop the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem that the three wise men followed to find the baby Jesus.
What do plants symbolize?
Plants are a universal metaphor for the cycle of life and spiritual renewal. Cultures around the world prize hardy vegetation that thrives in the brittle desolation of winter, viewing it as a symbol of hope and eternal life. Early Christians adopted ancient Roman traditions that celebrated the Winter Solstice by plucking evergreen sprigs from holly, ivy and mistletoe to weave into good-luck wreaths, swags and hair adornments. During Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, an evergreen fir or pine tree is decorated with lights, ornaments and gifts underneath. In Christianity, green is often used to represent the life and resurrection of Jesus.
Why did red and green become Christmas colors?
Before they were associated with Christmas, red and green were associated with Celtic winter celebrations, which revered holly for its evergreen (and red) properties, even in the bleak, cold months.
What are the two most popular Christmas colors after red and green?
Gold and silver take the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in terms of Christmas color popularity—and they both beautifully complement red and green, so it makes sense! Of course, white is also up there (thanks to snow, Santa’s beard, and candy cane stripes), or else “ White Christmas ” would be totally irrelevant.
What are the four most popular Christmas colors?
The four most popular Christmas colors are red, green, gold, and silver, respectively.
What do Christmas colors mean?
While Coca-Cola had a hand in popularizing red for Christmas, nature also plays a role in the popularity of red and green. Eckstut told NPR that holly—commonly used in winter holiday decor—had a hand in making red and green so ubiquitous in December.
What colors represent Christmas?
Other colors that symbolize Christmas are gold and silver as these have long been used in Christmas symbols such as the star on top of Christmas trees.
What is the standardization of Christmas colors?
The standardization of Christmas red and green and depictions of Santa Claus are often attributed to the 20th century advertising of Coca-Cola and the artist Haddon Sundblom.If you compare the Christmas colors above with the colors of traditional symbols of Christmas such as holly, ivy and mistletoe you can see that 20th century advertising made Christmas colors more vivid.
What are the different types of Christmas colors?
14 Types of Christmas Colors. Christmas colors are colors that traditionally symbolize Christmas. These are primarily a medium red and green that originated with the leaves and berries of holly. Evergreen varieties of holly plants are a traditional symbol of Christianity that have been used since the middle ages to make Christmas wreaths.
What does the color red mean in Christmas?
The color red is used at Christmas to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross. It's also reflected in the color of holly berries, which also had pagan symbolism during the winter solstice celebrations in ancient Rome. The color green signifies everlasting light and life.
What does the red stripe on Jesus's Christmas card mean?
Jesus, often referred to as the Good Shepherd, was born on Christmas. His birth was God's way to bring lost lambs back to the fold. The red stripe represents blood, Christ's sacrifice, and the white stands for his purity. The Spruce / Margot Cavin.
Why do people put tinsel on Christmas?
This tradition comes from the Eastern European tale of the Christmas spider, which led to the reason for tinsel at Christmas. A modern-day version of the story is that a woman immaculately cleaned her house for Christmas. The house spiders were swept to the farthest reaches.
What does a wreath symbolize?
The wreath is a circular, never-ending symbol of eternal love and rebirth. Holly also stands for immortality and cedar for strength. Today, the wreath symbolizes generosity, giving, and the gathering of family.
What is the significance of candles?
Candles. A candle, a mirror of starlight, is also a symbol representing the star of Bethlehem. Before electric Christmas tree lights were invented, families would use candles to light up the tree. Also, during this season, two other holidays share the significance of candles and light: Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, in Judaism; and Kwanzaa, ...
Why do we ring bells at Christmas?
Bells are rung during Christmas to proclaim the arrival of the season and to announce the birth of Jesus. The ringing of bells can also be traced back to pagan winter celebrations used to drive out evil spirits.
What does the color green mean?
The color green signifies everlasting light and life. Romans decorated their houses with evergreen branches during the New Year, and the fir tree symbolized life during the winter. There is also a legend that says that when Jesus was born in the dead of winter, all the trees around the world shook off the snow to reveal new shoots of green.
What other Christmas colors hold religious symbolism?
While red and green top the charts during the jolliest time of year, gold, blue, and white often follow suit. Gold symbolizes the gift from the three wise men, blue represents Mother Mary and the rich blue robes she was often seen in as a result of her wealth, and white links to the purity of Jesus himself.
Why are red and green plants associated with Christmas?
As such, they’d regularly outfit their homes with the red and green plants as a way to promote a prosperous new year.
Who was Santa in the Coca Cola ads?
In 1931, the cola company hired Haddon Sundblom, a Michigan-born illustrator, to bring Santa (not someone dressed up as Santa) to life in magazine ads. The result was a jolly, bearded man decked in red and white (his red outfitclosely matching Coca-Cola's red shade), surrounded by verbiage bordered in green.
Are red and green religious Christmas colors?
It goes without saying that there are people all over the world who want to keep Christ in Christmas. As a result, one of the most-asked questions regarding the colors of the holidays revolve around whether or not they’re religiously significant. While many people flock to the colors each and every year solely out of habit and style sense, some Christians believe the hues (and, more specifically, the holly wreaths they’re derived from) to be symbolic of Jesus’ crown. Where the red berries represent Jesus’ blood, the spiky holly leaves are said to embody the crown of thorns that encircled his head on the cross.
