the black color

THE BLACK COLOUR

Black color is the most misunderstood color. A black tie dinner is very formal and elegant.

Women can wear that “must have little black dress” to the black dinner. Yet the bad  guys wear black hats. Black is authoritative and powerful; because can evoke strong emotions too much can be overwhelming. Black represents a lack of color, the primordial void, emptiness. It is a classic color for clothing, possibly because it make the weaver appear thinner and more sophisticated.

According to some scholars, black is not a color. It is the absence of all color. When people speak of opposites, and  its usually in terms black and white. Black and its apposite white represent polarities. Black absorbs all aspects of light. While white reveals, black conceals. It has come to mean hidden, fearful or bad experience. It is linked to the unknown or the unseen. In times of fear and uncertainty black contains the energy of the threatening unknown.

In a positive state, black is seen as respectful emptiness into which anything may emerge and disappear once again. Black is also mysterious, providing a sense of potential and possibility.

You put black in your life when you want to become inconspicuous, open doors to mystery, prepare for the unknown and to have a restful emptiness.

Now we take time to know the meaning of color black around the globe. In Aztec culture, black represented war because black obsidian glass was used as the cutting edge of battle swords. It was also a symbol of religion; priests wore no other color but black. In the west, black is the color of mourning but the custom of wearing unadorned black clothing for mourning dates back t at least to the Roman Empire, when the Toga pulla made of dark – colored wool was worn during periods of mourning. Also in rural areas of Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece widows will wear black for the rest of their lives. The immediate family members of the deceased will wear black for extended period of time. Likewise the Ghanaian society, black is used to mourn the dead. The bereaved family wears black quite a period of time. In England, taxi cabs are traditionally black.

There are also some interesting facts about the color black. A black cat crossing one’s path is considered bad luck in many cultures including Ghana, except in England where spotting a black cat is considered good luck. The color black is also associated with sophiscation and power …tuxedos, limousines, judge’s robes and priest’s attire are all typically black. Muslims in an orchestra pit often wear all black during live concerts, so as not to draw attention away from the stage per formers. One old wives’ tale claims that if a woman is buried wearing the color black, she will come back to haunt the family. Dr. Jigo Kano, founder of judo created divisions among students using belt color, in order to give students recognition for certain achievements. The black belt is the highest color belt in the most martial arts, including ITF and WTF of Tae Kwon Do. Black symbolizes the combination of all colors of the universe. From black all color originates and spring up to create the lively rainbow. The black belt is the beginning of true achievement, understanding and wisdom, and bleeding the mind and the body into one, into a unity within oneself and with the universe.

The black color also has some links in the political sphere. The Mussolini’s Fascist militia was known as “the Black shirts”. Also the black is the color of the Portuguese political party Leftwing Bloc.