color: Symbolic Uses of Color

Color has long been used to represent affiliations and loyalties (e.g., school or regimental colors) and as a symbol of various moods (e.g., red with rage) and qualities (e.g., worthy of a blue ribbon). A well-known use of the symbolism of color is in the liturgical colors of the Western Church, according to which the color of the vestments varies through the ecclesiastical calendar; e.g., purple (i.e., violet) is the color of Advent and Lent; white, of Easter; and red, of the feasts of the martyrs.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Symbolic Uses of Color
• Properties of Colors
• Subtractive Colors
• Additive Colors
• Apparent Color of Objects
• The Visible Spectrum
• Bibliography

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