The Meanings of Colours in My Culture vs. in The Canadian Culture

Meanings of Colours in the Bangladeshi Culture:

Blue

When we think of blue, the endless skies, the deep oceans and the massive icebergs comes to mind and how these majestic creations of nature overwhelm us. Therefore, blue signifies nature’s way of exciting our senses using its splendour.

Yellow

Yellow usually signifies rejuvenation and rebirth. This colour comes to mind when spring is in the air. This colour is everywhere at the verge of spring, including the sun’s radiance. As such, the yellow revitalizes nature and enables us to draw from it for our own emotional growth.

Red

Red is a colour of many emotions. Sometimes it signifies rage and revolt. It is also associated with festivities. For instance, at Bengali weddings there is a strong presence of the colour red – from the clothing and jewellery to the food and décor. Thus, red brings out the utmost strongest emotions from within us.

Black

Black is not strictly a colour as it is the absence of all colours. Thus, it signifies the absence of life. Black usually sets the tone for sadness or mournfulness. During Bangladeshi Remembrance Day, we all dress up in black to express our empathy towards the thousands who gave their lives to free our country.

White

White is usually associated with purity and innocence. It also means the presence of peace and a new beginning. There is also a religious meaning for the colour white, and that is nobleness. White is the accepted attire at an Islamic funeral, and the deceased also is clothe in a white during the burial.

Green

Green has a patriotic symbology attached to it. The Bangladeshi flag is mostly green, which signifies the lush greenery that covers most of the country. During national independence and victory days, everyone dresses up in green and creates a green ambiance across the nation.


Meanings of Colours in the Canadian Culture:

Blue

Blue is a very spiritual colour and contains clarity, cleansing, healing and protective qualities. Using this colour, whether wearing it or lighting candles of this colour or decorating an entire room with it draws an increase in wisdom, harmony and peace.

Yellow

Yellow is associated with the expression of thoughts and the intellectual side of the mind. It can therefore aid the powers of memory and clear thinking, decision-making and good judgement. Magical purposes for use in rituals and Spell work associated with Yellow are for increasing motivation, inspiration and intelligence.

Red

Red is a very strong motivational and energetic colour. Its colour meaning for Magic rituals and Spell work relates to energising, manifesting love, passion and vitality. It adds vibrant energy to the Root Chakra to strengthen the body and promote will power and courage.

Black

Black is not strictly a colour as it is the absence of all colours. It absorbs all aspects of light. Although this colour has some negative connotations it does in fact enhance any positive elements given by other colours. Using Black for clothing or for an accent colour for home décor can convey an air of mystery, sophistication and elegance. If you are craving a need for change and transformation and for getting rid of the old and embracing the new then use this colour.

White

White is a healing colour and has clean purification vibrations and can be used to clear blocked energies. Although not strictly a colour in its own right, it contains all the colours of the rainbow and therefore all their qualities. This makes it a very useful and versatile colour to be surrounded with.

Green

Green has a strong association with nature, fertility and life. You instinctively seek it out when under stress or experiencing emotional difficulties. Feelings of comfort, relaxation, calmness, and space are induced by this colour.


What Have I Learned from this Exercise?

First of all, this exercise has enabled us to learn the deeper meanings of these six colours. Obviously the meanings in the Canadian culture were mostly new to me, so a great deal of knowledge was gained from there. Moreover, some of the more intricate meanings in my culture were unknown to be. As such, I resorted to the elderly in my family to get the information I needed about these colours and their significance to the Bengali culture.

I have also understood the importance of human perception. We may see things in a way that could be totally foreign to others. This “meanings of colours” exercise is a perfect example of that notion. It has made me aware of the fact that differences in individual perception are not obvious but could result in major differences in opinion.