Hinduism attaches a spiritual meaning to almost every color.
Green, for example, is
associated with festivity and nature. But as a religion of the East, with 80 percent of the Indian population identifying as Hindu, many colors and their religious meanings differ widely from Western associations. Take white -- brides often wear white in the West to symbolize purity, but in India, Hindu widows wear the color to represent mourning. Red In Hindu tradition, red signifies life and passion, and is omnipresent during festive occasions. Often Hindus will put a red dot, or tika, on their forehead before any type of celebration. Red also symbolizes purity, and therefore particularly associated with weddings. Brides wear red jewelry, color their hair with red powder and wear a red sari, the traditional Indian female dress . Shades of red also decorate temples, as well as the statues of deities within. In Buddhism, red is one of the five colors which are said to have emanated from the Buddha when he attained enlightenment, or nirvana. It is particularly associated with the benefits of the practice of Buddhism; achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity. It was also believed to have the power to resist evil. Yellow Yellow in the Hindu religion symbolizes stability and knowledge, and spring. A wide variety of colours, ranging from a slightly orange yellow to a deep orange red, all simply called saffron, are closely associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, and are commonly worn by monks and holy men across Asia. In Hinduism, the divinity Krishna is commonly portrayed dressed in yellow or yellow orange. Yellow and saffron are also the colours worn by sadhu, or wandering holy men in India In Buddhism orange (or more precisely saffron) was the colour of illumination, the highest state of perfection. Blue Hinduism associates blue with the gods. Lord Krishna, whose name means "dark as a cloud," is often shown with blue skin. He's revered for his many miracles, his legendary status as a lover and for his mischievousness. Blue also symbolizes bravery and determination in artistic depictions of Krishna. Blue in Hinduism: Many of the gods are depicted as having blue-coloured skin, particularly those associated with Vishnu, who is said to be the preserver of the world and thus intimately connected to water. Krishna and Ram, Vishnu's avatars, are usually blue. Shiva, the destroyer, is also depicted in light blue tones and is called neela kantha, or blue-throated, for having swallowed poison in an attempt to turn the tide of a battle between the gods and demons in the gods' favour. Blue is used to symbolically represent the fifth, throat, chakra (Vishuddha). Holi Hindus celebrate all colors during Holi, a religious holiday to greet the arrival of spring. The festivities include singing, dancing and throwing colored paint and powders for dancers to smear all over their clothes and bodies. The holiday represents the triumph of good over evil in Hindu legends, drawing upon bonfires, high energy and bright colors, particularly in northern India.