RED ALERT!!!
One morning, i rushed outside at the sound of a knock only
to find a clean red envelope slipped under my door. I thought, "this
certainly must be bad news", as i observed the deep engrained designs at
the edges. I tore it open in haste, wondering what kind of sad news had been
wrapped up in this red- alert envelope!
I took in a deep breath and whispered "Come what may" before finally pulling out the content with my
forefinger. It was a wad of clean crisp notes of the Chinese Currency. A
thousand yuan. I knew immediately that
Wang Hu was behind it and shortly before i shut the door, he came beaming from
the other side of the corridor.
"You scared me" was the first thing i said to him,
but he seemed not to get it.
I meant in this part
of Africa, West Africa, Ghana to be specific, you do not wave the colour red at
any time of day and expect others to smile to it, unless of course its Val's
day (a day when the haphazard use of red is pardoned on African soil, because
we all agree it should mean love, at least for a day!)
If not, the colour Red is at first hand decoded as a sign of
death, mourning, sadness, aggression or warning in African culture. My Chinese
friend Wang Hu found that incredible. It was in contrast to the Chinese
interpretation of the colour RED. He explained,
"I gave you the envelope to wish you well on your
journey to China next week." Wang Hu`s eyes glistened under the luminous
light and i perceived in his explanation a certain subtle sense of cultural
pride .
"Red,
corresponding with fire, symbolizes good fortune and joy. Red is found
everywhere during Chinese New Year and other holidays and family gatherings.
A red envelope is a monetary gift which is given in Chinese society
during holiday or special occasions. The red colour of the packet symbolizes
good luck. " He ended.
My face
naturally shone with pleasant shock and knowing Wang Hu, i knew he was elated
to have taught me something new. This was one of my Asian students through whom i had had the
enlightening experience of teaching English to Speakers of other Languages
(the" other language" being
none other but Chinese). Indeed i had learnt a lot, and was still learning...
"In
Ghana, Red is the colour worn at funerals". I said calmly.
"Really?"
He asked, and i thought Wang Hu of all foreigners should have noticed that by
now. Nevertheless i offered a succinct explanation.
"Colour
has symbolic meaning in African culture and each colour conveys peculiar
information when won or displayed at significant places or situations.
The
colour RED as well as black however is a symbolic colour for funerals in almost
all parts of Africa. It is the official mourning cloth at funerals especially
the one that involves a person who died at unripe age- (black) and
the death of an old member or close relative-( Red).
"But Red is strictly forbidden at
funerals in china. In Eastern Asia, Red is the colour of joy and is also a
bridal colour. In China, Red is the colour of celebration, good luck, happiness
and a long life. In India, red is the colour for purity. It is a traditionally symbolic colour for
happiness." He sounded like someone who was set to convince the whole of
Africa to change their perception of the colour red. I shrugged in response to
his explanation and then, we both gave out a giggle.
"Well
the names of the dead were previously written in red, so it may be considered
offensive to use red ink for Chinese names in contexts other than official
seals" He added.
We both
sat quietly for a while, sipping tea (Chinese tea given to me by Wang Hu), and
pondering on our "colour-full" cultural differences.
WHY NOT WHITE?
Then the
phone rang. It was time to prepare for my "Surprise Party" Wang Hu
declared, with that extra stress on the "TY"
of "Party" that i found really cute.
"I
bought this white dress yesterday, to match with some blue Pearls...i am fully
prepared for you" And when I said "YOU" i meant my whole English
class of Chinese students organizing the great "parTY!"
"No!
No White dress! No! White is the colour of mourning. It is associated with
death and is used predominantly in funerals in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese people wore white clothes and
hats only when they mourned for the dead. Sometimes silver takes its place, as
silver is often offered to the deceased in the form of Joss
Paper"
"What?"
"Here, take this. A beautiful red "Qipao" ( a
Ceremonial Chinese attire for women) and grey pearls. "
"A beautiful Red Qipao...and grey Pearls" I repeated
to myself as i stood in front of the mirror, trying to look happy and cheerful
and gay, like i was going for a jolly merry ParTY and not the funeral or wake keeping of Auntie Ama`s grand Parents!
What a day of "Colour-full" Confusion!!!
Written by: Alice Blighton
Written by: Alice Blighton
AfriqAsia Merge,
Still....Bridging the Gap.
