Saffron (color) - Saffron in Culture

Saffron in Culture

Art

• The Gates is a site-specific art installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The artists installed 7,503 metal "gates" along 23 miles (37 km) of pathways in Central Park in New York City. From each gate hung a flag-shaped piece of deep saffron-colored nylon fabric. The exhibit ran from February 12, 2005 through February 27, 2005.

Ethnography

• Saffron-colored cloth is thought by some to have a history of use among Celtic peoples. A "saffron" kilt is worn by the pipers of certain Irish regiments in the British Army and in the defence forces of the Republic of Ireland. This garment is also worn by some Irish and Irish-American men as an item of national costume. Its color varies from a true saffron orange to a range of dull mustard and yellowish-brown hues. The Antrim GAA teams are nicknamed "The Saffrons" because of the saffron-colored kit which they play in. The surname "Cronin," which originated in County Cork, is derived from the Old Irish word crón, meaning saffron-colored. In Ireland and Scotland until at least the 17th century, noblemen wore léine croich, a saffron-colored loose shirt that reached down to mid-thigh or the knee. Since saffron spice could only be afforded by the wealthy, wearing saffron-colored clothing came to be seen as a sign of nobility among the Celts.

Literature

• The color saffron is associated with the goddess of dawn (Eos in Greek mythology and Aurora in Roman mythology) in classical literature:

Homer's Iliad :

Now when Dawn in robe of saffron was hastening from the streams of Okeanos, to bring light to mortals and immortals, Thetis reached the ships with the armor that the god had given her. (19.1)

Virgil's Aeneid :

Aurora now had left her saffron bed,

And beams of early light the heav'ns o'erspread,

When, from a tow'r, the queen, with wakeful eyes,

Saw day point upward from the rosy skies.

Music

• The lyrics of Donovan's 1966 song, Mellow Yellow repeat the line, "I'm just mad about Saffron."

Politics

• Because Theravada Buddhist monks were at the forefront of the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests, the uprising has been referred to as the Saffron Revolution by some in the international media.
• In India, the terms Saffronization and Saffron Brigade are used to refer to the Hindu nationalists.
• The Saffron Swastika is a 2001 book by Koenraad Elst that argues against the idea that the Hindu Nationalists are fascists in the Western sense of the word.

Religion

• In Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism), the deep saffron color is associated with sacrifice, religious abstinence, quest for light and salvation. Saffron or "Bhagwa" is the most sacred color for the Hindus and is often worn by Sanyasis who have left their home in search of the ultimate truth.
• Buddhist monks in the Theravada tradition typically wear saffron robes (although occasionally maroon--the color normally worn by Vajrayana Buddhist monks--is worn). (The tone of saffron typically worn by Theravada Buddhist monks is the lighter tone of saffron shown above.)
• Sikhs use saffron as the background color of the Nishan Sahib, the flag of the Sikh religion, upon which is displayed the khanda in blue.

• The Prophet Muhammad enjoined the rubbing of saffron on the heads of babies after their heads were shaven as part of Aqiqah and he forbade the wearing of saffron colored clothing to male Muslims.

Vexillology

• The color at the top of the Indian National Flag is a color officially called India saffron that is an orangeish shade of saffron. On the Indian National Flag the color saffron is supposed to represent sacrifice and renunciation of materialism.
• In Rajasthani this color is called kay-ser-ia. The word derives its name from kesar, a spice crop from Kashmir.

Video games

• In the Pokémon games, there is a city named Saffron City.