Is red a color of mourning?

The color red evokes many emotions and meanings across cultures. In some contexts, red is associated with love, passion, and celebration. However, red can also symbolize blood, violence, and death. This leads to an important question: is red an appropriate color to wear or use during times of mourning?

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Quick Answer

In most cultures today, red is not considered an appropriate color for mourning dress or rituals. Black, white, and somber dark colors are more commonly associated with grief and loss. However, there are some exceptions, which will be explored throughout this article.

What Does the Color Red Symbolize?

Before analyzing red’s role in mourning, it’s helpful to understand the color’s general symbolism and meanings:

Love, passion, and romance – Red is strongly tied to feelings of love, intimacy, and affection in many cultures. This is likely due to red’s close association with the heart.
Anger, aggression, and violence – Red can also represent anger, rage, bloodshed, and danger. These connotations stem from red’s resemblance to blood.
Life, vitality, and celebration – In some cultural contexts, red is connected to vivacity, fertility, and festivity. Red is a bold, lively color that attracts attention.

Courage, confidence, and bravery – The vividness of red is sometimes seen as a symbol of assuredness and valor.
Urgency, emergency, and immediacy – Red’s eye-catching hue gives it an urgent character. Think of red stop signs, fire trucks, and emergency alerts.
Power, prestige, and status – In some eras and civilizations, red dyes and pigments were rare and expensive. Red garments conveyed affluence and influence.

Red is ultimately an intense, multifaceted color. Its symbolism and meaning can vary substantially by culture and context.

Red in Mourning and Funerary Customs

The use of red in mourning dress and funerary customs differs greatly across time periods and geographic regions:

Ancient Egypt – Red was the color of both life and afterlife in Ancient Egypt. Egyptian red ochre was even used to color the deceased’s skin.

China – Red is a traditional Chinese color of mourning and funeral rituals. In Chinese culture, red signifies luck and wards off evil spirits.
South Asia – Red is an inauspicious funeral color in many South Asian cultures. However, red may be used in Hindu death rites in India and Nepal.
Sub-Saharan Africa – Bright red fabrics are used to wrap the deceased before burial in parts of Africa. Red also appears in African mourning garb.

Europe and America – Throughout much of the modern West, red is rarely associated with grief, loss, or burial customs.

Clearly, red holds vastly different meanings in mourning rituals globally. But in the contemporary West, red is generally seen as inappropriate for somber occasions like funerals.

Is Red Acceptable to Wear When in Mourning?

Today, most etiquette experts agree that red clothing should be avoided when grieving the loss of a loved one or attending a funeral. Instead, dark or neutral colors are recommended:

Black – Black is the traditional color of mourning in the West. It signifies solemnity and respect for the gravity of loss.
Dark grey, navy, brown – These dark neutrals are safe alternatives to black that also demonstrate mourning.
White – In many cultures, white clothing signifies purity, remembrance, and peace in death.

Patterns, bright colors – It’s best to avoid brightly-colored clothing, busy patterns, and flashy accessories.

Red apparel in particular is widely seen as inappropriate. Red draws the eye and conveys vibrancy – emotions contrary to the solemn mood of grieving. Blood red may also evoke the violence of death.

However, touches of subdued red may be acceptable, especially at visitations or wakes where the tone is less severe. Avoid fire engine red dresses or suits. But a maroon tie or dark red accessory may be ok.

Key Exceptions

While red is not a traditional mourning color in Western culture today, there are some exceptions:

Cultural traditions – As discussed earlier, red mourning dress persists in some regions, like Southern and Eastern Asia.
Religious customs – Hindu and Buddhist practices sometimes incorporate red in funeral attire and rites.

Personal meaning – A红色red item of the deceased may be worn in tribute.
Children’s funerals – Bright colors are often seen as more appropriate for children’s services.

So while red is widely shunned in formal mourning wear, personal or cultural meaning may override this guideline. As in all matters of etiquette, respect and compassion should be the ultimate guide.

Red Flowers and Wreaths

What about giving red flowers or wreaths? Many people wish to send a beautiful floral arrangement without breaching etiquette. Here are some tips:

Avoid solid red flowers like long-stemmed red roses.
Mixed bouquets with tiny red blossoms may be ok – the red shouldn’t dominate.

Red carnations are a safer choice, as they are associated with remembrance.
Red poinsettias and chrysanthemums are popular mourning wreath flowers.
For large wreaths or sprays, stick to whites, purples, and pastels with small red accents.

The safest approach is embracing flowers in cooler, darker shades like blue, purple, or pastel colors for funeral flowers. But small touches of red generally don’t violate etiquette standards.

Red Flags and Other Symbolic Uses of Red

Red also appears symbolically in other mourning contexts besides attire and flowers:

Some cultures fly red flags or display red insignia to commemorate fallen soldiers and deaths in wartime.

Chinese and Korean ancestral shrines and tombs frequently incorporate red elements.
In Ireland, a red mark may be painted on a corpse to indicate they have passed.
During Day of the Dead rituals, Mexican grave decorations often include crosses, wreaths, and flowers in red.

Red paint, fabric, and flowers are inexpensive, eye-catching ways to symbolize life, blood, courage, and commemoration. While red clothing is widely shunned, symbolic red allows for honor and remembrance.

Cultural Variation in Mourning Color Symbolism

It’s vital to grasp that color symbolism is not universal across cultures. What’s taboo in one region may be customary elsewhere. Here are some key differences:

Culture	Mourning Color Symbolism
European and American	Black signifies grief, loss, and solemnity. Red is generally avoided.
Chinese, Japanese, Korean	White signifies death and loss. Red symbolizes luck, protection, and commemoration.
Indian, Nepali, Vietnamese	White indicates mourning. Red brings good fortune but also inauspiciousness.
Igbo, Yoruba, Maasai	Red is a color of vitality and communion with ancestors. It is prominently used in burial rites.

When in doubt, it’s wisest to avoid red out of respect. But learning the meaning behind mourning colors can prevent awkward cross-cultural moments.

Modern Diversification in Mourning Attire

While black retains strong cultural resonance as a sober mourning color, strict dress code rules have relaxed over time. Today, individuals often follow their own instincts balancing respect and personal meaning:

Black or dark apparel remains common, especially for immediate family.
But other relatives or friends may wear dark neutrals, whites, or even colors.

Some embrace the deceased’s favorite color as a personalized tribute.
At children’s and young adult’s funerals, bright colors are increasingly common.
Gender norms blur, as both men and women wear dark suits or dresses.

Red however remains widely deemed inappropriate. But the growing flexibility and personalization of funeral attire may see this taboo loosen over time. Continued cultural exchange could also introduce the color red into Western mourning dress.

The Color Psychology of Red

Color psychology sheds some light on why red provokes such visceral reactions – both positive and negative:

Red has the longest wavelengths of visible light. It thus has an energizing, stimulating effect.

The color red triggers a faster heartbeat and quicker breathing.
Red symbolizes primal urges and basic human drives like sexuality and aggression.
Brighter reds feel intrusive, intimate, and demanding of attention.

Darker reds feel mature, dignified, and conventional.

So red is an emotionally intense hue that evokes our most primal, deeply-rooted reactions. This gives red an associative power that makes it taboo at somber occasions in many cultures.

The Color Psychology of Black

Conversely, black has a psychological gravity perfectly suited for mourning:

Black absorbs all light, representing darkness, mystery, and the unknown.
Black signals power and authority, but also submission.
Black seems formal, elegant, and sophisticated.

Pure black creates distance. It feels indefinite and unclear.
For clothing, black comes across as serious, formal, and restrained.

Black’s ominous and recessive nature aligns with the emotions of grief and solemnity. Black retreats where red advances, making it ideal for mourning wear.

Red Mourning Symbolism in Literature and Art

Themes of death, loss, and grief appear prominently in art, fiction, and poetry. Creative works often subvert or expand cultural color symbolism. Red can take on poetic new dimensions in mourning-related literature and art:

The Red Badge of Courage uses a blood-red wound as a badge of honor in battle.
In Madame Bovary, Emma dons a red gown before ingesting poison in her dramatic suicide.

The Masque of the Red Death imagines a gruesome plague with blood-like symptoms.
Francisco Goya’s morbid red painting, Saturn Devouring His Son, depicts a horrific act of cannibalism.
Sylvia Plath’s poem “Tulips” explores the psyche from a hospital bed “swaddled in gauze, red and white.”

These works use red to symbolize violence, sacrifice, passion, and the tenuous border between life and death. While rare in reality, red is frequently evoked in artful portrayals of death.

Red in Mourning Around the World: A Photo Tour

While white and darker shades prevail in Western mourning traditions, red maintains a symbolic presence across global cultures. Here is some visual evidence:

China

In China, red accents on graves and mourning apparel symbolize luck, fortune, and scare away evil spirits.

South Korea

In Korea, red decorations adorn funeral spaces. Red ribbons and insignia commemorate the dead.

India

Some Indian mourning rituals incorporate red despite its inauspiciousness. Red resin is burned in Hindu burials.

Kenya

For the Maasai of Kenya, red shukas symbolize the blood of life and the souls of ancestors.

Mexico

During Dia de Muertos, Mexican graves are adorned with red flowers and decorations.

Red in Mourning: Yay or Nay?

So should you incorporate red when grieving, attending a funeral, or visiting a grave? Here are some closing suggestions:

When in doubt, avoid red out of respect for the deceased and their family.

Follow cultural norms if attending an ethnically-specific service.
Small touches of red may be ok – flowers, accent pieces, trimmings.
Ultimately, prioritize honoring the dead over etiquette.

Red provokes visceral reactions tied to our primal bonds with blood, life, passion, and death. While red remains taboo as funeral attire in the West, its rich symbolic meanings offer consolation when used thoughtfully, sparingly, and respectfully.