Lucky Colours

You don’t have to be a suspicious person to have a lucky number or colour, many people have numbers or colours to remind them of events or people in their past. It could be their number on the vest of their first school race, or the colour of their bedroom when they were growing up. But in different races, cultures and religions, colours can play a significant part of the beliefs of the people.


Red is one of the most powerful colours in the world. In Indian culture, it plays a big part in both religion and society. It can symbolise wealth and power, indicate purity and represent love and beauty.

However, down in South Africa, the colour red has connotations of death and mourning. Even in the national flag the red colour depicts the violence and sacrifice that was made in the country’s evolution. Thailand have a day of the week allocated to a specific colour which is related to one particular God. Sunday is associated with the God Surya, who is a solar God and red is his colour.

The Chinese have great reverence for the colour red, it is traditionally worn at New Year and is meant to be very lucky, bringing good fortune, prosperity and a long happy life.


Yellow has many connotations all over the world and staying with China it is associated with pornography, a “yellow book” means a pornographic book with naked images. In France, yellow signifies betrayal and weakness, in past French history the houses and doors of known criminals and traitors were all painted yellow.

Back in Thailand yellow pertains to Monday, and it is considered the most important colour of all, because it was the colour that represented the late king, King Bhumibol.


Blue has many overtones of sadness, hence the phrase “feeling blue”, but it can also mean calm and peace. In America blue has connotations of authority and trust, and that is why you see so many American money institutions with blue logos.

In the Middle East blue is an indicator of protection and safety, and for Muslim people it is symbolic of heaven and immortality. Catholics recognise blue as the colour of the Virgin Mary, and represents hope. Whereas in the Hindu religion blue is the colour of Krishna who epitomises love and joy.


The world seems to have adopted green as the colour of nature and ecology, and in the West it can signify “Spring” and the change for something new to happen.

Ireland has traditionally always been associated with the colour green, its nickname is the “emerald isle”, mostly for the lush green countryside, but also it is the colour of St Patrick who is the patron saint of Ireland. In Asia, green is associated with eternal life, and rebirth, it can also signify youth and fertility. Perhaps to end this blog on colours we should feel sorry for any Chinese gentlemen wearing green hats. This indicates their wife is cheating on them and they are cuckolded.