Knowing the Hidden Meanings Behind Christmas Colors

Jakarta, VIVA – Christmas is a widely celebrated Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

It's observed annually on December 25th and is a time for families and friends to gather, exchange gifts, and enjoy festive meals.

Many cultures have incorporated their own traditions into the celebration, such as decorating Christmas trees, singing carols, and attending church services.

Christmas is also a significant commercial event, with many people exchanging gifts and participating in holiday shopping.

However, one question remains: Why are red and green considered the primary colors of Christmas?

According to Southern Living, Celtic people centuries ago admired red-and-green-colored holly plants for surviving the winter season, as quoted from Abc27 site.

These ancient Celtic people believed that holly plants kept the Earth beautiful during the winter, so they would decorate their homes with it during the Winter Solstice celebrations to bring protection and good luck to their families.

Although the ‘Celts’ had their reasons for utilizing red and green colors during the winter, it is not the only reason why red and green colors are so prominent during the Christmas season.

There are also religious connections, specifically throughout Christianity.

In the Christian bible, the color red is frequently used to symbolize the blood of Jesus Christ, whereas the color green is a symbol of the evergreen tree, which represents eternal life since it stays the same hue throughout the cold winter months.

Although there is a long history of using red and green colors during the winter months and the Christmas holiday, it didn’t take off here in the United States until the early 1900s.

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According to NPR, in 1931, Coca-Cola hired an artist named Haddon Sundblom to create a Santa Claus.

Prior to Coca-Cola’s groundbreaking Santa Claus advertisement, Santa was usually portrayed as a thin and ‘elf-like’ individual.

However, Sundblom’s instead depicted a fat and jolly man with red robes set in front of a green background (while holding a bottle of Coke of course).

These new advertisements were so successful that Coca-Cola continued working with Sundblom for decades after his initial 1931 advertisement.

After a while, this depiction became the standard for ‘Old St. Nicholas’ and eventually solidified the use of red and green colors during this festive season in the United States. 

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However, Sundblom’s instead depicted a fat and jolly man with red robes set in front of a green background (while holding a bottle of Coke of course).