How red and green became the colours of Christmas... think Celtics and the tradition of red and green holly. Then jump to the twentieth century and think Coca-Cola and fat Santa in the red suit with a green background - like green fir trees.
But the colour blue is different - it doesn't have ancient beginnings. It is associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important in medieval times. This is when blue dye and paint were more expensive than gold.
In the 12th century the Roman Catholic Church dictated that painters in Italy (and the rest of Europe consequently) to paint the Virgin Mary with the new most expensive pigment imported from Asia. Blue became associated with holiness, humility and virtue. The religious tradition of blue made a brilliant entrance in the stained glass windows at Chartres. The light shining through created a violet effect. The Blue Virgin Window from before the fire of 1194 has a seated Mary wearing a crown and blue robe and blue halo. These were magical sights at the time.
Skip ahead and there are versions of the colour theme of Christmas 2021:
"The color theme for Christmas 2021 is all about joyful brights in both traditional colorways as well as contemporary alternatives such as magenta and blue are going to really bring the fun to your celebrations. On the other hand, muted colors are going to be a big trend."
Perhaps a harkening back to the Gothic cathedrals.
Another variation of our series of flow images yesterday.
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