Just when you thought all colours are equal, you meet colours used in sarees – and they are never random. Here are some of them:
- Green – the meaning has evolved over time. In its initial years, it was associated with the merchant classes, but now it is very popular with Muslims that decide to wear sarees as it is an important colour in Islam (it is associated with heaven and life). In certain parts of the country, many brides choose to wear green sarees.
- White – this is associated with spiritual traditions, regardless of the religious ceremony. When it comes to dyeing fabrics, the process is taken as making the fabric spiritually impure, so people associate white with priests. It is also important to note that widows tend to wear white sarees, as the colour is associated with mourning.
- Red – this has many positive meanings, and that is why you find very many sarees bearing this colour. Many brides choose to wear it regardless of their social status, as it is associated with fertility and attraction, as well as being a traditional colour of the warrior class.
- Black – has a negative meaning unlike red, as it represents misfortune and sadness. Understandably, it is rare to find black sarees.
- Yellow – this represents religion, as well as the many practices that a dedicated spiritual individual will seek to enter heaven. Along with orange, it is considered as the colour of the saints. When a woman gives birth, she wears a yellow saree for seven days afterward to celebrate the birth and pray for the child’s safe health.
- Blue – this is normally associated with the working class in society that used their hands. Because of this, people of higher castes shunned the colour, and it was reserved for farmers, artists, and weavers.
Even the motifs have meanings
Some of them include:
Fish – very common in the coastal regions, represents food, fertility and wealth as it is a symbol of plenty.
Parrot – considered a romantic element, and seen as a symbol of courting and passion.
Elephant – these are sacred animals and associated with the Hindu god Ganesh. They symbolize regal strength, royalty, fertility, and water.
Rudraksha – symbolizes the eye of Shiva and is among the most popular motifs. The name of the symbol itself is a derivative of a large tree that grows in the Himalayas and is evergreen, and its seeds are shaped in this form. Hindus use these seeds as prayer beads, and they have a similar look to rosaries used by Catholics.