Green and red are such quintessential Christmas colors. It is only this year that I haven’t traveled anywhere warm for holidays have I gotten the chance to notice these colors on my walks. So, this article is not as much as why these colors but what are these colors. Colors are determined by frequency and the combination of such frequencies leads to various colors. A segment of the electromagnetic spectrum is the visible light which has wavelengths from 380 to 700 nanometers. And this visible light separates into different colors when it passes through the prism which was demonstrated by Isaac Newton in the 17th century.
Green color: this is a color which can be made by combining yellow and blue, or mixing yellow and cyan together, hence is not a primary color. A color associated with nature and in many cultures signifies health, fertility and good luck. This might also be due to the fact that green in my opinion is the most abundant color we see around us in plants and trees. This is because the red end of the light spectrum is used by a pair of chlorophyll molecules to engerize reactions within the cell, the remaining unused light is emitted as the green light hence green leaves. This color has a wavelength between 495-570nm and the human eye can perceive this color much better than any other color in the visible spectrum. A study conducted in 2016 found that a green, natural environment reduced stress, increased physical activity among participants and overall was responsible for decreased morality.
Red color: This is one of the primary colors with a wavelength of 620-750nm and least amount of energy. This color in nature indicates danger and in some cultures signifies luck and happiness. This is a color which also induces strong physiological responses such as anxiety, a higher level of brain activity around perception and attention. Apart from this, there are several animals in nature which have red colored eyes, some examples are male box turtles, moths, snakes, albino hedgehogs etc. Our blood is also red in color due to a protein called hemoglobin which contains iron and when this attaches to oxygen gives the distinct red color.
Color blindness: Light enters the human eyes through a pupil and falls on a thin layer of tissue part inside the eye called the retina which is made of 2 different types of cells: rods and cones which get activated when light falls on them. From here light is converted into neural signals which are transmitted to the brain which perceives light in different colors. Cones respond differently based on the wavelength of light that falls on them while rods can detect light from dark levels. In people with color blindness, one of the three pigments of cone cells are either absent or malfunction leading to trouble seeing different colors especially green and red colors, their brightness and shades. Most of the time color blindness is due to genetic reasons, however it can also occur due to eye or brain damage. It is the red-green color blindness which is the most common inherited form and is caused by X-linked recessive genes.
All this brings back to the first sentence of this article, association of Christmas with green and red. It so happens that this tradition started many centuries ago with Celtics believing that holly plants which have evergreen leaves and red fruits make the earth beautiful during the harsh winters. Whatever the reason maybe, we all know this Christmas will be like no other that we have experienced, and I would like to wish everyone safe and healthy holidays!
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