Significations

The Signification Of The Rainbow Colors in Different Cultures

Since the beginning of the humanity, people observed this interesting, yet inexplicable back then phenomenon – the rainbow. This is an optical and meteorological phenomenon which appears when the Sun is shining over drops of water from the atmosphere of the Earth. The great spectrum of rainbow colors can be noticed easily on rainy days, immediately after the rain stops, when the Sun is shining. Due to its beauty, people always wondered what is the signification of the rainbow colors. The truth is that every culture has its own interpretation for the rainbow colors. And although the scientific explanation of the rainbow colors has nothing to do with the legends, these are still interesting, as a symbol of each culture that gave a special meaning to the rainbow.

The Greco-Romans considered that the rainbow colors formed a path between Earth and Heaven. The creator of this was a messenger called Iris. For the Chinese, the rainbow colors were the five stones set by goddess Nuwa to seal a slit in the sky. Hindu call the rainbow Indradhanush, meaning the bow of Indra, Indra being the god of rain, lightning and thunder; so, the association of rain with rainbow colors is obvious. Another version of the Hindu myth says that the rainbow colors form the bow of Rama. In Bengali, the rainbow is also considered a bow made of five colors. In Arabic, the phenomenon is called Qaus Quzah – the war bow; here, the rainbow colors have a negative symbol.

In Armenian mythology is exactly the opposite, the phenomenon being regarded as the appearance of the Sun god – Tir. A Norse myth says that rainbow colors make the connection between gods and humans. The most famous myth regarding the rainbow colors is related to the Irish leprechaun. Apparently, a leprechaun hid a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Children use to look for this place, but, as this is an optical effect, the pot of gold remains hidden altogether with the end of the rainbow. No matter the meaning of the rainbow colors, the rainbow remains a great phenomenon that brightens a rainy day.