Why is Green and Red the colors of Christmas?

Comments

• infinitevalence@discuss.online ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Holly berries. The holly tree stays green throughout the winter and fruits around now. While not great eating it provided calories in the darkest part of the year.

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  • shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Humans can’t really eat those. Since there are shitloads in the forest around my house, I looked about using them for forage. Even a couple will irritate your gut.

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    • someguy3@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      From wiki

      Holly berries can cause vomiting and diarrhea. They are especially dangerous in cases involving accidental consumption by children attracted to the bright red berries.[32] Ingestion of over 20 berries may be fatal to children.[31][32]

      Holly leaves, if eaten, might cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach and intestinal problems.[32]

      Holly plants might be toxic to pets and livestock.[33]

      Holly berries are fermented and distilled to produce an eau de vie.[35][36]

      (Fruit brandy).

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• HowRu68@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  The Xmas tree probably originates from the Nordic" Tree of life ". I remember reading it was used to celebrate life and the return of light during the dark cold winters in the north

  To celebrate and remember the return of the sun, lights were used to chase away the dark; green as a symbol of returning life, like vegetation and plants, and red probably symbolises fruit and harvest.

  There are several versions and interpretation, so it probably depends in which country it was used and in which century.

  Santa Claus , originally Saint Nicolaus, was merged with Wodan (Nordic God). Many old Germanic/Nordic religions were integrated with Christian symbolism and rituals.

  check this link for more general info.

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  • bollybing@lemmynsfw.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    www.snopes.com/…/the-claus-that-refreshes/

    Santa Claus wasn’t in any way invented by Coca-Cola. The name, colours, appearance and everything used by Coca-Cola in their advertising already existed in prior works. The only thing they invented was the association with coke.

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  • Treczoks@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Back 1700 years ago, when St. Nicholas lived, red was an expensive color, reserved for nobility and higher clerics. As Nicholas of Myra was a bishop, he is traditionally depicted in red bishop robes, which advertizing later turned into that red suit worn by fat Santa.

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• nemo@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Our association between Christmas and those colors comes in part from:

  • old traditions
  • CocaCola marketing

  Basically, those colors have always been associated with this time of year and festivities of similar nature ever since ancient civilizations. And in modern times, thanks to the fizzy drink marketing campaign and the influence of the US on the rest of the world, the red and green image of Santa Claus and other decorations they became the default colors for Christmas worldwide.

  Here’s an article about it. The Wikipedia page also has more info and sources on symbols of the holiday :)

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• erusuoyera@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Christmas has always been a celebration of mid winter ( more specifically the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere,) as far back as records go there has always been some variety of taking a evergreen tree as a symbol of the return of the sun. Red might be part of the evergreens berries (holly), but mostly it’s because coca cola advertised with a picture of St Nicklaus dressed in their corporate colours, instead of the traditional green.

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  • GamingChairModel@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    St Nicklaus

    The golfer?!?

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• tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Red for Santa, green for coniferous trees, white for snow

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  • erusuoyera@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Red for coca cola. To clarify.

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• sepi@piefed.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Snot and blood

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• TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Green for conifers.

  Red for the mushrooms that pop up at their base

  ffungi.org/…/the-influence-of-hallucinogenic-mush…

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• NutinButNet@hilariouschaos.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I always thought it was for mistletoe which has green leaves and red berries. But maybe that’s something that came after red and green were established as Christmas’ colors?

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