Red Color Symbolism Facts & Meaning: Zodiac, Omens, Dreams, and Myths
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Red Color Meaning
Red depicts the color of blood and fire which prehistoric people interpret as the life and energy force. The primary meanings of the color red are love, energy, and danger. It is an intense and stimulating color packed with emotion and catches attention quickly. Consider how a person seems to appear red when filled with an angry energy. Moreover, due to the highly visible color, it emits an environment that gets people to make quick decisions. Therefore, the color has been used by corporations to establish power in branding. It has also been used in warning signs to give a swift caution such as those you can observe in stop lights and stop signs to alert drivers. The indication of danger and emergency makes it also the reason you often see the color in fire trucks.
Love. Being a color of love, it also comprises passion, romance, and lust. It is a feeling of attraction and motivation towards whatever a person is emotionally interested to. It excites action and enthusiasm that a person will exert effort to finish a particular goal. To display romance, it has been the color of choice for valentines as well as romantic gifts, balloons, ribbons, and roses.
Energy. It conveys energy to believe oneself. A person in red dress, red coat, or red lipstick feels something like a flash of energy to be able to take on the world. It gives a mood to show what you are capable of doing. The color red aggravates strong emotions whether positive or negative. It can boost confidence that makes a person to think powerful and dominant. It is a color that stands out. Power can be displayed similar to driving a red luxury car or participating in a red carpet treatment for famous individuals.
Danger. It isn’t difficult to appreciate the use of the color red on several road signs because it portrays a hint of danger. The signs are important to be easily noticed by both drivers and passersby. Using a different color is likely to give a higher chance of putting the person in harm’s way. The red color is also used in classifying to indicate the severity of a danger such as weather conditions and several risk assessment procedures.
There are several shades of red with each unique meaning. One of the most common shade is scarlet red. The color which is a bright red color means authority and strength. The dark variation of red is known as maroon. It is a shade that is close to the color brown. Maroon is usually associated with force and depth.
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Red Color History
One of the earliest colors used in human history is the color red. In fact, there is a bison painting in a cave in Spain which dates about 15,000BC that made use of the red ochre clay. The color red is also the first color replicated and differentiated into various shades. Throughout history, there had been several religious significance of the color, more particularly relevant with the use of blood. It has also been a popular color available for painting during the Renaissance period. In the 19th century, it has started appearing in political and social movements.
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Red Color Symbolism
Red Color Positive Symbolism
There are a lot of interesting symbolism that can be learned from the color red. It is one of the most visible colors that can be helpful in catching the attention of a person. This is useful in warning people of potential danger. The color red is also a positive symbolism of energy and excitement. This has been useful to stimulate a person especially when you use the color for branding. Considering how it is thought to increase a person’s heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, a customer will likely find it quick to make a decision. Since the red color symbolizes passion, it can be also useful when giving heartfelt and gentle sentiments to a person.
Red Color Negative Symbolism
The red color is also associated with a number of negative symbolism. It is easy to understand why it has been commonly a symbol of power and aggression. These qualities are usually considered by a lot of people as negative energy that it has been related to villains in stories and shows. In fact, you can observe a lot of red superpowers to indicate that the character is in the dark side. You will find the bad guys display attributes of hate, fear, pain, rage, accompanying hints of the red hue. The color red is a common sign of anger that it has been used by warriors in the past to display their fury. The color red is also a symbol to indicate that something is wrong. This can happen with the use of a red flag during wars to warn of some danger. It also indicates a negative financial connotation on a company’s financial statements or when a drop in the stock market exchange happens.
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Red Color Physical and Psychological Effects
In the way a color affects the body, the color red is totally opposite to the effects of blue. It stimulates the body, increases body temperature, blood flow, and heart rate. Red is something of a physical stimulant that can affect the adrenal gland giving a person more energy to take action. It is one of the most visible colors that it affects vision. It can easily capture attention by focusing behind the retina which forces the lens of the eye to grow more convex.
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Red Favorite Color: Traits and Personality
With blue as the most favored color, the color red comes second with the same rank as green. Moreover, it is the most involved color in flags worldwide with approximately as high as 77%. When it comes to personality, the red color can be useful in understanding individuals who favor the color red. These are people who are particularly extroverts and outgoing. Positive personality traits include confidence, passionate, enthusiastic, and charismatic. On the other hand, negative personality traits include aggressiveness, impulsiveness, unapologetic, and overly competitive. While red is an enthusiastic color, it is often classified and illustrated with the angry behavior considering how often a person gets red in the face when mad.
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Red Color Cultural Symbolism
The red color brings different symbolisms in different culture. In Russia, it is associated with communism while in the United States, it represents patriotism when combined with the color white and blue. Japanese children describe the sun in drawings as red in color. It is also used to symbolize good luck in Japan to wear a red kimono. Brides in Nepal and India wear red saris as an auspicious color for marriage. In China, it is used to bring lucky charms and prosperity. You will find Chinese restaurants filled with a lot of red. In South Africa, it is a color of mourning. Native Americans used to paint their body in red as a way of dressing up for war. Australian Aboriginals imply ancestral power with the color red. Christianity finds the color to symbolize the crucifixion while Greeks use it to symbolize super-human heroism.
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Red Color Zodiac Sign
The red color is the zodiac color for Aries. It is the first sign of the zodiac and is a home to Mars, the Roman god of war. It is the power color for the happy and bold. It is associated with the fire element and masculine energy. The fire sign draws excitement and assertion, which is comparable to Aries’ active nature and fervor for life. People born under Aries tends to be vivacious, exciting, and full of life similar to the fiery and vibrant tone. The red color encourages an Aries to be strong with positive energy and drive to succeed.
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Red Color Omens and Superstitions
A red gemstone is believed to boost interest and enthusiasm that people used it by wearing a bracelet or ruby ring on their left hand, which is the side of the heart. An energy of happiness and passion is thought to be encompassing the red gemstone.
It is believed that the use of a red umbrella will offer you protection from violence and attacks more particularly from institutional power or people above you. With the help of a red umbrella, you will have the strength to repel the negative energy moving against you.
There is a Chinese belief that says using a red envelope when giving gifts of money brings good luck. It is a color well celebrated which can be especially observed during the Chinese New Year. Even wearing red undergarments is believed to ward off difficulties in life.
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Red Color in Dreams
There can be a number of interpretations with seeing the color red in dreams, you have to look deep into the context. A dream can give you all kind of red objects. To wear red clothing in a dream is interpreted as seeking of attention. It may be you seeking attention from people but it can also mean others wanting it from you. This may also indicate your desire to be a strong and respected person. You may be looking into a position of leadership and power. Positive and negative interpretations can be gained from a dream such as in the case of a red telephone. It can either mean about your excitement to talk about your passion or you basically feel irritated to partake in a communication with a certain person. Dreaming of the color red can also be a warning sign. When your dream involves red road signs, you may be experiencing a roadblock in life or currently in a situation that can be potentially harmful.
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Red Color Mythology and Folklore
In ancient Roman mythology, the planet Mars is called the “Red Planet” because it is thought to be a planet filled with blood and ruled by the Roman god of war of the same name, Mars. However, it was learned that the ancient Greeks formerly named the planet after their god of war Ares from which the Romans copied.
There is a Japanese legend that tells human relations are predestined by a red string. Every night, an old man who lives in the moon, visits the earth in pursuit of kin spirits to connect. He ties a thread on the pinky fingers of those people found so they find their paths to each other in life. Having both ends of the red string held by someone, the two people connected will display a linked story, regardless of the place, time, or circumstances. Even if there will be instances that the red string becomes tangled or stretched in the way, it will never break.
