Symbolysm in Modern Culture

Symbolism in Modern Culture

 

Symbolism is the practice of representing things through symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.

 

It is important to understand that symbolism is still widely used in our culture, although it may not be as evident as it was in the Elizabethan times, it is still relevant to our every day life.

 

Something that is symbolic and always has been is colour, this is something that universally different so different colours can have different connotations in different countries/ societies. Colours can influence emotion, and can also hold strong religious annotations.

• Red usually symbolises, excitement, danger, blood, violence, intense feeling or passion, it can also be a symbol for stop (think traffic lights) however in japan it is related to sincerity or happiness and in our culture it can be seen as anger (seeing red). Not only does this colour influence these emotions it is also related to Christmas.
• Pink - is usually symbolic of love and romance, caring, tenderness and acceptance. A pastel pink is usually common to see on mothers day cards as flowers are a common gift on mothers day.
• Beige and ivory symbolise unification, simplicity and calm.
• Yellow symbolises joy, sunshine and optimism but can also symbolise a hazard as animals who are usually this colour can be poisonous or can be seen as caution because of yellow traffic lights.
• Blue can symbolise lots of different things depending on the shade, it can mean integrity or power, calm or harmony. It can be seen as a cold colour and associated with sadness for instance 'feeling blue'.
• Purple can symbolise royalty, spirituality  or mystery.
• Green can be seen as healthy ' going green' as it represents the environment, or can be a sign of sickness, wealth or envy.
• White is a symbol of purity, new birth, innocence, marriage in western cultures or mourning in eastern cultures.
• Black usually symbolises power, sexuality, mourning and death.

A good way to show modern day symbolism is in a wedding there are many traditions that some people still do today that are symbolic. One tradition is 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.' Something old links the brides family and the past, something new symbolises good fortune and success in the brides new life, something borrowed reminds the bride that her family will be there when they  are needed and something blue symbolises faithfulness and loyalty and relates back to biblical times where blue represented purity. A veil is placed over a woman's face during a wedding to hide her beauty and warn off evil spirits. Women also wear white at a wedding and this is a symbol of purity.
 

 Unknown. (Unknown). Symbolysm of Colour in Culture. Available: http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/middle/color2.htm. Last accessed 3rd Nov 2015.