Each color has a general symbolism that almost everyone agrees on, such as blue being relaxing and white representing purity. However, cultural interpretations of color can vary significantly. While certain colors are associated with royalty and success in some cultures, they may evoke fear or other negative emotions in others.
Throughout history, several colors have been avoided because of their dark meanings. Let’s shine a light on the colors cloaked in fear and why they carry ominous reputations in some cultures.
1. Black Symbolizes Death, Grief, and Mourning in Cultures Worldwide
Black is the most common color of fear. Since it’s such a dark, powerful color, people associate it with negative emotions. Most commonly, it’s associated with death and mourning, which is why many people may fear it or feel wary of it. The United States, Japan, Brazil, and Thailand are just a few of the many countries that view the color black this way. Here, black is commonly worn at funerals to symbolize respect and mourning for the person they lost. Outside of funerals, it’s less common to wear all black because of the negative associations.
2. Many Asian Cultures View White as a Sign of Mourning
Despite being the opposite of black, other countries view white as a sign of mourning instead. In India, Hindu traditions use white to symbolize death because it represents rebirth and new beginnings. Other Asian countries, such as China and Japan, use both white and black to represent mourning. While black represents the dark side of death in Japan and China, white focuses on purity and rebirth. So, while white may not directly evoke fear in these cultures, it’s still linked to death, which is a scary subject for many individuals.
3. Red Represents Danger in the Middle East
Many of the countries in the Middle East fear the color red. It’s perceived as a sign of danger, caution, and war. Red is the color of blood, so people associate it with injury and hazards. In Egypt, red signifies fury and destructive fire. In Iran and Iraq, it symbolizes the blood of people who sacrificed their lives.
Every Middle Eastern country perceives red differently, but it’s almost always related to fear and danger in some way. In many cases, this bold color can trigger feelings of anger and rage, so it’s often avoided in everyday activities.
4. Green Is Considered a Forbidden Color in Indonesia
People in Indonesia fear the color green, but not because it’s a symbol of death or danger. Instead, they believe wearing green will give them bad luck, despite green being a lucky color in other cultures. Green is the color that the supernatural being Nyi Roro Kidul wears in Indonesian folklore. She is a powerful goddess who can control storms and tsunamis, so people don’t want to wear her favorite color for fear of upsetting her. Many people in Indonesia believe the sea will rise up and swallow you in anger if you wear green.
While you won’t get in trouble for wearing green in most areas of Indonesia today, many locals still strongly believe it will cause bad luck, and they avoid it out of fear. Some areas of Indonesia, such as Java, take this more seriously than others, so tourists visiting the island of Java should avoid wearing green to respect the local culture.
5. Black Symbolized the Underworld in Ancient Greece and Egypt
In ancient Greece, many people feared the color black. This was not because it was a sign of mourning but because it was also associated with the underworld. The underworld is viewed as a very dark place with no sunlight in Greek mythology, which is why black is the color most commonly linked to it. Black is also a color of the underworld in Egypt because it’s the color of Anubis, the god of the underworld and afterlife. In both cultures, the underworld was viewed as a scary place.
In ancient Greece and Egypt, people greatly feared the underworld and the judgment they believed they would face after death. Seeing the color black sometimes reminded them of those fears.
6. Yellow/Gold May Signify Loss or Mourning in Egypt
Around the world, yellow is commonly associated with joy, friendship, and other positive meanings. However, in Egyptian culture, yellow and gold are more commonly related to death. During funerals for pharaohs, guests would wear yellow and gold as a sign of mourning. In ancient Egypt, they believed their gods had gold skin, which is another reason they used it at funerals. While yellow and gold have some negative associations in Egypt, they aren’t always feared because they hold positive meanings, too, such as wealth, power, and immortality.
7. Yellow Is a Sign of Betrayal in French Culture
France is another location that doesn’t view yellow as an optimistic color. In French culture, people are wary of the color yellow because it can signify betrayal, jealousy, and weakness. This can be traced back to the 10th century when they would paint someone’s door yellow if they were a criminal or traitor. So, some French people still avoid wearing yellow and associating themselves with this color today.
8. Black Symbolizes Misfortune in Japanese Culture
While black is sometimes related to death and mourning in Japan, it can also be a sign of misfortune. In Japanese culture, they sometimes view the color as foreboding. It can be viewed as a scary color because it makes people think of the unknown. It causes people to think about how short life is and the mysteries of what comes after, which many people fear. While black has a lot of negative associations in Japan, it can also be viewed as a formal and elegant color, so context is important.
9. Purple Is an Unlucky Color in Brazil
Purple is most commonly viewed as a color of royalty in history, but in certain locations, such as Thailand and Brazil, it’s also a symbol of mourning. In Brazil, people often wear purple alongside black at funerals. If you wear purple outside of funerals and other services of mourning, it’s considered unlucky. So, in fear of bad things happening, very few people wear the color purple in Brazil. If you’re visiting the country, it’s probably a good idea not to wear purple.
10. People Avoided Green in Victorian England
Scheele’s Green was a popular pigment in England in the early to mid-19th century. It was most commonly used for wallpaper but also found in other items, such as baby carriages and food coloring. Swedish chemist Carl Scheele made the pigment with copper arsenite, which contains arsenic, and things took a dark turn when people discovered it had toxic materials in it.
Those exposed to Scheele’s Green kept suddenly becoming ill with no explanation. After some research, scientists found a link between the mysterious illnesses and the wallpaper’s hue. After people learned the dangers of Scheele’s Green, many became fearful of any green. Green’s popularity sharply declined after that because people feared that any green would make them sick.
11. Wearing a Green Hat Indicates Infidelity in China
In China, no one wants to be caught wearing a green hat. Throughout Chinese history, the hat represents infidelity, and it’s often worn by a man whose wife has cheated on him. This tradition has existed since the Yuan Dynasty, when family members of prostitutes had to wear green hats in shame. Even today, it’s best not to wear a green hat if you don’t want people making negative assumptions about your relationship.
Green is only bad in that specific context, though. In Chinese culture, it has many positive meanings, such as wealth, harmony, and health.
12. Greeks and Romans Believed Blue Was Barbaric
Before the Greeks and Romans had a name for the color blue, they feared it. They associated the color blue with the “barbaric” Celts, who were said to dye their bodies blue during battles. For that reason, Greeks and Romans avoided blue. They thought women with blue eyes had “loose morals,” and they didn’t include the color blue when describing the colors of the rainbow. Blue still existed, but it was rarely talked about due to the negative associations.
13. Chromophobia May Have Started in Ancient Greek Times
Chromophobia is the fear of colors. Most people with chromophobia are afraid of one or two colors, but some may fear groups of colors, such as vibrant ones. This unusual phobia can be traced back to ancient Greek times. Since many sculptures from that period don’t include color, it’s suspected that people were afraid of vibrant colors. Other evidence suggests that the sculptures used to be more colorful but faded over time.
Whether or not these colorless sculptures are actually an example of chromophobia in history, it’s still a very real phobia today. While some instances could be due to cultural aspects, it’s often because an individual experienced a traumatic event that involved a specific color.
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