Yellow has a wide range of uses and meanings in our everyday lives, it may not be obvious but it’s there, all around us. Yellow is in the warm spectrum of colours that, like red, has conflicting symbolism around the world. The word “yellow” comes from the Old English geolu, or geolwe and the oldest known use of the word in the English language is in the poem ‘Beowulf’, in a description of a shield made out of wood from a yew tree.

There is both positive and negative symbolism for yellow, so let’s start with the positive. For most people when they visualise yellow, they imagine brightness, sunshine and warmth, it is the colour of summer and happiness and invokes a feeling of fun and optimism as well as stirring up related memories from past years where we enjoyed being outside in the fresh air without the need for coats and scarves. The Christian festival of Easter is associated with yellow flowers like daffodils, crocus and tulips, fluffy yellow chicks which symbolise new life, and the brightness of the colour that symbolises hope. In ancient history we find yellow being of great symbolism and importance, for example the ancient Maya people associated the colour yellow with the direction of South and in Hinduism, yellow is used symbolically to represent the solar plexus chakra which defines self-esteem. In Paganism, yellow is representative of intellect and communication, yellow candles are used in spells to increase concentration and sharpen logic along with yellow gemstones such as citrine, jasper and yellow tourmaline.

Yellow is also symbolic of autumn where the natural world starts to slow down ready to rest for winter. We have all marvelled at the beauty of trees in autumn with their changing leaves in shades of yellow, copper and red. Equally vibrant are fields full of ripe crops such as wheat and corn ready for the harvest where the yellow/brown shade gives a sense of readiness and well-being.

In the art world, yellow is a colour for use on its own and for blending with other colours to enrich or lighten them. Yellow ochre is a naturally occurring earth pigment found in clays in many parts of the world. It is non-toxic and has been used in painting since prehistoric times. It is still used today to tint paint in all forms water-based and oil-based, but there are also many shades of chemically produced yellows such as the well-known ‘canary yellow’ – the first use of this vibrant shade as a colour name in English was in 1789!

Now, there are some negative connotations for yellow too. Most famously, it is associated with cowardice. In American slang, a coward can be said to be yellow or “yellow bellied” and it is a term that can be taken with great offense. It is also associated with caution, concern and safety, most familiar in everyday life as the second light on a set of traffic lights and for pedestrian crossings as well as often being used for hazard signs and on some emergency vehicles such as ambulances in the UK due of the high visibility of bright yellow.

Yellow is a politically important colour mostly to symbolise the liberal way of thinking. It is associated in the United States with the Libertarian Party, and in the United Kingdom, yellow is associated with the Liberal Democrats. Yellow is also the colour of the New Party in the Republic of China which supports Chinese reunification. It has always been an important colour in China, from the times of the First Emperor. Members of the imperial family of China were the only people allowed to display the colour yellow in buildings and clothing.

So, yellow is an intrinsic part of everyday life the world over, historically important whether in a joyful sense or as a warning. How many places will we see yellow today?

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow