Color in Russian Culture. White Light, Beautiful Maiden, Golden Heart

Since ancient times, bright colors have been loved in Russia. Painted chests and boxes, spinning wheels and embroidered towels adorned both noble chambers and peasants' huts. The multitude of colors symbolized joy and life. The desire to fill everyday life with bright colors reflected in clothing and household items, froze on the canvases of artists, and, of course, became embedded in speech.

Why are "red" and "beautiful" the same word? Where did the almost mystical fear of the blue color come from, causing Ivan the Terrible to fear people with blue eyes? And how is it that white - a symbol of purity and holiness - remained a color of mourning for centuries?

Marina Golubeva - a historian, candidate of philosophical sciences, associate professor of psychology, and a teacher with 30 years of experience, author of the books "The Essence of Color History", "Slavic Magic", "The History of Divination and Predictions" and many others - reflects on what colors were especially loved by our ancestors and what this indicates about their worldview.

You will look at Russian culture through the prism of color and see what has previously eluded you: how ancient worship of Light gave rise to the sacred triad "white-black-red", how from minerals, insects, and apple juice the palette of icon painters was born, and how the strict code of the Middle Ages transformed by the 19th century due to shades like "fainting frog" and "fleas in childbirth fever".