Red is
blood. Red is
fire. Infact, the
Hebrew words for red and blood both share the same origin.
Ancient Romans used a
red flag as a signal for
battle, while the
ancient Egyptians considered themselves to be a '
red race' and painted themselves in the colour.
The colour red gives off both positive and negative feelings. Joy, passion, love, danger and anger all all represented by this bold colour. Yet the meaning of red tends to vary in different regions of the world. Different hues also have various meanings.
In Western Europe, Japan and the USA red is generally associated with the words danger, anger and stop. China hands over a little more positivity to red, using it heavily during festive occassions and to signify joy and good luck. In India red symbolises soldiers. And lastly, in Russia, red connotates beauty.
Joy, love, feminity, passion and sexuality = Light red
Vigor, willpower, masculinity, anger, courage and wrath = Dark red
Sacrifice and bravery = Maroon
Desire, pleasure, pride, vanity, idealism and a thirst for action = Reddish orange
Red is often considered a
warm colour. Surrounding ourselves in a red-coloured
environment wil leave us feeling
cozy,
harmonious and may even speed up our
perception of time. A common example is that
chickens surrounded in a red environment will become
happier and eat
less.
Many shades of red are thought to be stimulating and even appetising. Some people believe that eating red foods will help you lose weight, and science has even proved that the mere perception of colour red can enhance the human metabolism by up to 13.4%! On top of this, red can stimulate the autonomic nervous system and increase bodily tension. It is because of this and the colour's good visibility that stop signs, brake lights and fire equipment are coloured in red. Also, when a person suffers temporary colour blindness, they will regain the ability to see red before any other colour.
A
red rose is a sign of
fidelity and
love. Give a loved one a rose and you will be giving them a message of
passion and
respect. Red
candles are linked to
strength,
passion,
energy,
sexual potency,
good health and
courage.
Red has been used widely in politics during the past. It became the symbol of communism and socialism in Russia during the early 1900's. In a cold country like Russia, the warmth of red was smiled upon. The colour is also the most common colour featured on national flags.
These days red is used in the advertising industry because it stands out, however it can be considered obtrusive and is used less often than blue.
References cited:
http://pages.ivillage.com/centauristar/candlecolors.html
http://www.rosefloral.com/roses.htm
http://www.avcweb.com/dreams/colour-meaning.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/50065
http://www.carhops.com/lover's_leap/meaning/red.htm
http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/color/reds2.html