In many European societies, the symbolism was even established by law: From ancient Rome to Elizabethan England, "sumptuary laws" forbade anyone except close members of the royal family to wear the color, according to Harvard Law School (opens in new tab). Purple symbolizes royalty, nobility and imperialism. A study published in the journal Color Research and Application (opens in new tab) found that black was the overall favourite color to wear amongst female study participants. Of course the black isn’t always synonymous with death and despair, especially in the world of fashion. Throughout history the color black has also been attached to fearful and mysterious things, such as black magic, black holes, the black plague and so on. There was the added coincidence of death sharing similarities with sleep, which happens in the darkness of night and when closed eyelids block out all light. Ancient people were completely "in the dark" about what would happen to them after death, and so it was (and is) represented by the color black in many cultures. Of all mysteries, death may have been the biggest. This was because night, the absence of light, transcended human perception in the same way that the wisdom of God was thought to be beyond comprehension. Many ancient cultures believed that black was "the color of mystery and of the mysterious ways and wisdom of God," historian Ellen Conroy wrote in her book " The Symbolism of Colors" (1921). The colour – or rather adsense of colour– black is often linked with negative associations, such as death, fear or sadness, according to the Journal of international Colour Association (opens in new tab). In many Asian cultures, particularly in China, white is not a traditional used for wedding gowns – red or gold may be more commonly seen wedding colors – but is worn instead of black at funeral services and is a symbol of mourning, according to Yerevan State University (opens in new tab).Īlthough white is often referred to as a “color”, white is actually the combination of all the wavelengths of color that are reflected off an object, according to Encyclopedia Britannica (opens in new tab). However, it wasn’t until Queen Victoria walked down the aisle in a white lace dress to wed Prince Albert in 1840, that wearing white wedding gown became popular. For example, wearing white to a wedding dates back more than 2,000 years when Roman brides wore white tunics to signal a woman’s virginity, according to Ohio State University (opens in new tab). Throughout history, white has been synonymous with purity and virtue, which lends itself to many religious ceremonies.
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