Midnight Blue Belt is a belt worn in some Korean martial arts to signify that the wearer has attained dan rank, which translates to a degree holder. This belt is most commonly seen in the Korean martial arts of tang soo do and soo bahk do, where it is often used in place of the more common black belt. Its origin lies in Hwang Kee, who used it to denote dan holders in the Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan. In tang soo do, black is viewed as a colour that does not become darker, and thus signifies an end (death), whereas midnight blue represents more positive concepts, such as the element of Water.
Famous quotes containing the words midnight, blue and/or belt:
“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves,
And ye that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms,”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead
I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.
You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,
You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.”
—Li Po (701–762)
“He could not see a belt without hitting below it.”
—Margot Asquith (1864–1945)