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Why do we associate red and green with Christmas?

Dec 11, 2024

Discover the fascinating origins of red and green as Christmas colors. Learn how ancient traditions, particularly the reverence for holly, shaped their significance. Explore the blend of cultural history and religious meanings behind these festive hues. Delve into how commercial advertising has further solidified the association. In just a few minutes, gain insights into why these colors evoke the spirit of the season!

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Quick takeaways

The colors red and green, rooted in historical symbolism, were solidified as Christmas colors through cultural influences like Coca-Cola advertising.

In Christian symbolism, red signifies the blood of Jesus while green represents everlasting life, contributing to the rich meaning of Christmas colors.

Deep dives

The Significance of Red and Green in Christmas Traditions

The colors red and green are deeply rooted in Christmas traditions and have significant historical symbolism. Holly, featuring green leaves and red berries, was historically revered during winter solstice celebrations as a symbol of protection and prosperity, predating Christmas itself. The association of these colors with the holiday became even more pronounced due to Coca-Cola's iconic advertising in the 1930s, where a jolly Santa Claus in a red suit helped solidify their link to Christmas. This blend of natural phenomena and cultural influences illustrates how specific elements can evolve into the colors we now consider quintessentially Christmas.

The Cultural and Historical Significance of Christmas Colors

4min

Christmas is a time of joy, celebration, gift-giving and of course decorating. For the most part people tend to stick to ‘Christmassy colours’ especially red and green but these ‘traditional’ Christmas colours have a long history and symbolism.

Arielle Eckstut, author of The Secret Language of Color found that holly, with its green leaves and red berries has long played a role in winter solstice celebrations that predate Christmas. People revered holly plants for being evergreen and surviving the winter and used them as symbols of protection and prosperity in their midwinter celebrations.

“It’s like a lot of things that have to do with culture and colour, where it’s some combination of a natural phenomenon mixed with other cultural forces,” she says.

What cultural events have made red and green Christmassy? Do red and green have any religious significance? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

First Broadcast: 19/12/2023

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