February 14th. Valentine’s Day. Some look forward to it; some dread it. But this year it holds another meaning as well: Chinese New Year. And color plays a big role in both of these holidays… the color red more specifically.
Cranberries and burgundys are draped from every corner of every restaurant, department store and CVS. But what do this mean? Given the time of year, it can mean many different things. For Christians, the red on a candy cane is said to signify the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Sewn together with stripes of white, the red of a flag shows American pride. The Chinese consider red lucky and wear it during weddings to scare off evil spirits.
But when do we think about this? I mean, do we really stop to think before we put on a pair of blue jeans or a yellow shirt? Or what impression we’re giving off with that green hat or orange jacket? According to Changingminds.org, we perceive a lot of emotion from each other’s routine clothing choices. Red can mean love or anger, danger or excitement. Purple is typically power, royalty or mystery. And green symbolizes harmony or freshness. (For the full list, click on the Changing Minds link).
And have you ever noticed how so many social media sites use blues in their logos? MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress… all the biggies. Interesting since blue has one of the more split definitions. It can stand for professionalism, reliability and trust. Or it could mean boredom and winter coldness. Now I’m sure Dorsey and Zuckerberg were aiming for the former definition. But what made people agree with that connotation? And what made Chen, Hurley and Karim go for that reddish-orange in their YouTube logo? What does your website, blog or Twitter background say about who you are?
Colors take on even more meaning with flowers… the most common gift for Valentine’s Day. Teleflora.com shares that red roses symbolize love as well as passion and respect; pink ones mean elegance and refinement; white blossoms declare purity, truth and loyalty; yellow blooms stand for friendship and caring; orange is for enthusiasm; and surprisingly the lilac roses are the most romantic of all – love at first sight.
So don’t hand the florist your credit card before you think twice about what the flowers in your hand mean. And no, roses are not just for lovers anymore. Friends, family and roommates can all be happy recipients on this loving holiday.
Happy Valentines Day. Happy Single Awareness Day. Happy Chinese New Year. Or just Happy Sunday PReppies : )
No comments:
Post a Comment