The Colors of Mother’s Day: Green, Yellow, Red, Blue, and Pink

Mother's Day greeting card in green, yellow, red, blue, and pink colors

One day per year does not even touch upon the amount of time that should be contributed to acknowledging our mothers. After all, moms give us their hearts and souls 365 days of the year.

It’s much like this: mommas add color to our world, from the time we have little pink toes and sweet baby noses. How colorful would our lives be without our mothers?

What colors do you see when you close your eyes and think of your mom? Although there is no wrong or right answer, it is likely your choices are not neutrals such as browns, grays, and beiges. Likely, it is sunny and cool colors like blues, pinks, greens, and yellows. Some may choose red, or if your mother is a lively whirlwind of artsy creativity, you may even choose purple.

Origin of Mother’s Day Official Colors

Happy Mother's Day illustration with a little girl hugging her loving mom

Although there is some disparity in “official” colors that represent Mother’s Day, there is some like-mindedness about certain colors. Furthermore, many minds agree on what each color represents.

Here are the five foremost colors for society’s maternal icon of the family.

Red

Red represents the bold strength, power, and blatant passion our mothers possess.

Yellow

The bright yellow color embraces enthusiasm, intelligence, and respect for our world and interactions with other individuals.

Green

Much like the color of life represented by plants and growth, green demonstrates balance, comfort, and the potential for growth.

Blue

Just like the color for serenity, blue emanates calmness, scalability, and loyalty.

Pink

Pink’s significance may be the most tied into theology and philosophy. Some believe that pink flowers first bloomed in the location where the Virgin Mary fell. Therefore, this color lends to symbolism for mothers’ undying love and has represented the color of femininity throughout the ages.

Some theorists and color analysts also include the colors orange (creativity and confidence), purple (royalty, inspiration, and imagination), and the clarity of white (spirituality and truth).

Gifts for Mothers That Best Utilize Color Themes

Mother's Day bouquet of colorful spring flowers on pastel blue background

Those who have lived a few decades will recall the thrill of black and white television burgeoning into color television circa fifty years ago. This analogy is offered to emphasize just how important color is in our lives and in our world.

Although we know our mothers well enough to know what particular colors they prefer and/or which colors do not “fit” their own complexions and preferences, most moms embrace colorful gifts.

Here are some traditional and some creative gift ideas for mom that use color:

  • The traditional, orthodox floral gift, which includes bouquets and plants.
  • The also-traditional “mother ring,” wherein the ring boasts a gemstone/birthstone for each child and/or family member. These timeless rings come in a variety of metals and designs. This clever idea, created decades ago, can also be expanded to necklaces, bracelets, or earrings, but rings are the most popular.
  • Automobile and/or vehicle – Although this is quite the extravagant gift, moms truly place lots of emphasis on the color of a new or used vehicle.
  • Although it is not highly recommended as a gift, the turn of the 20th century ushered in colorful household appliances. Black became a popular color choice for the main bathroom fixtures (toilet, bathtub, and sink), albeit a very neutral pallet. However, kitchens began boasting shiny red refrigerators, toasters, blenders, mixers, coffee makers, and stoves. Yellows, greens, and blues were also available.

The Importance of Color Upon Mood and Sense of Well-Being

Portrait of happy family with drawn smile on sheet of paper against a yellow colored background

In case you have ever wondered why so much time, money, and energy is spent on analyzing, studying, and writing about color and the impact it has on humans in general (regardless of gender), consider these factors:

  • Learning styles are drawn to certain colors. This can also be said about personality types. Educational institutions, advertising agencies, marketers, and publishers all know and employ these tactics. Example: Sam Walton obviously knew this when he and his burgeoning Walmart hit the consumer market in the early 1980s.
  • Waiting rooms, health care facilities, schools, churches, and malls employ color promotions to help enhance and/or curtail moods and senses of well-being.
  • Think about your local florist and how they employ and blend color combinations in their creations. In other words, what if all bouquets or floral arrangements were in yesteryear’s black and white?
  • Although the traditional “pink is for baby girls and blue is for baby boys” is no longer a social/cultural norm, this color-coding did have a basis when it was birthed. However, it was not as most people think; blue was first targeted for girls as it was seen as the “dainty” color, and pink was targeted for boys, as it was deemed a power color.

Don’t forget your father – explore the colors of Father’s Day.