Colors of mourning around the world

In many parts of the world, black is traditionally the color of death, mourning and funeral fashion, but it is not the universal color of mourning everywhere.

Here, we look at the colors worn at funerals and in mourning across different cultures and explore some of the significance of color as we mourn, or celebrate the life of someone who has died.

Black – strongly associated with death and mourning in the West

Donning dark colors for mourning has been strongly associated with death and loss for centuries in the west and is a practice believed to date back to the Roman times.

In the United States, black clothing was worn as a social symbol to let others know a person was mourning. England’s Queen Victoria, famously mourned the death of her husband, Prince Albert for 40 years. This inspired other Victorian widows to wear black widow’s weeds for between one and two years after the death of their husbands.

It was also considered proper for a 19th Century widow walking out in public to wear a mourning bonnet and black crepe veil over her face for the first six months. Widowers were expected to mourn their wives for only between three and six months and were able to go on with their lives wearing their everyday suit, which was usually a dark color.

Black jewelry made from polished stone, jet, was particularly popular in the form of mourning brooches and mourning rings. It also was also not uncommon for the bereaved to incorporate the intricately knotted or woven hair of the person who died into mourning jewelry, as a sentimental and tangible way of remembering a loved one.

White – purity and rebirth

People in Eastern Asia, wear white mourning clothes as a symbol of purity and rebirth.

In Cambodia, the official religion is Buddhism. According to beliefs, when someone dies they are reincarnated, in a circle of life. The family of someone who dies wear white in the mourning process in the hope that their loved ones are reborn again.

In the 16th century, white became the color of deepest mourning for bereaved children and unmarried women. Known as deuil blanc in French, saw. The trend soon became a custom for the reigning queens of Europe, which inspired Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) to follow suit after the loss of three immediate family members within a period of 18 months.

Before Queen Victoria died in 1901, she left very detailed instructions of how she wanted white to play a part in her funeral. Not only did she wear her white wedding veil over her face, but she also requested white horses and a white pall over her coffin to be part of her send off.

Red– honor and patriotism

Red has different meanings, according to different cultures. In China, red symbolizes happiness and is a color that’s strictly forbidden at funerals. In South Africa, red is has been adopted as a color of mourning, representing the bloodshed suffered during the Apartheid era.

After the death of South Africa’s national football goalkeeper and captain, Senzo Meyiwa, mourners packed a soccer stadium in Durban, dressed in red, while paying their respects to their national hero.

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu also wore red, in tribute to Nelson Mandela, at the former South African president’s funeral in 2013.

The Rainbow Nation’s color of mourning also takes up a section of the South African flag, with the red representing its struggle for independence from Dutch and British colonists.

Purple – the color of spirituality

During Easter in Guatemala, Catholics mark Holy Week by reenacting the days leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. During the Procession of the Holy Cross, on Good Friday, men and boys dress in purple robes and hoods as a sign of mourning and symbol of the pain and suffering of Christ’s crucifixion.

Many devout Catholics in Brazil also wear purple, alongside black, while mourning the loss of a loved one. In fact, it can be considered disrespectful and unlucky to wear purple if you are not attending a funeral, as the colour has a sacred, devotional meaning to it.

In Thailand, purple defines sorrow, and is reserved for widows to wear while mourning the death of their spouse. At the funeral, other mourners are required to wear black.

Gold – a journey to the afterlife

In ancient Egypt, gold was associated with eternal life and the all-powerful god Ra, whose flesh was believed to be formed from the precious metal. Imperishable, and indestructible, gold was the color of royal mourning.

As magnificent treasures discovered in ancient Egyptian burial chambers have revealed, Royals and well-born ancient Egyptians were well-prepared for their journey into the afterlife. It was believed that after their death on earth, kings and queens would assume their status as deities, with the famous gold death mask of boy king Tutankhamun reflecting his own place in the heavens.

Gray – associated with mourning tradition in Papua New Guinea

Gray is the color that comes from a light, stone-colored clay that women cover themselves with, in Papua New Guinea, after the death of their husband. As seen in the picture above, this woman is also wearing numerous loops of gray, grass seeds.

Every day, she will remove one loop. This widow appears to be coming to the end of her mourning period, which usually ends when the last loop is taken off. This usually happens nine months after the man’s death.

All the colors of the rainbow – paying tribute to a loved one

Although religion and tradition are still an important part of many funerals, humanist funerals are also gaining popularity in the United States.

It may be the wish of the person who has died for mourners to wear bright colors, or the family may request you to wear a specific color or ribbon in support of a charity. Usually, these details are supplied by the family or funeral home prior to the funeral. If you’re attending a funeral and unsure of the dress code, you may find our what to wear to a funeral guide helpful.