R is for Rose #AtoZChallenge

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge! This year I'm doing an A-Z of Colours. I'll be doing a variety of posts, including haikus and poems, arts and crafts, fashion and beauty, recipes and more!    

For the letter 'R' I have chosen the colour Rose-a lovely medium pink named after the flowers. Rose is the name for pink in most European languages, for example 'rosa' in German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, 'rose' in French and 'różowy' in Polish.

Keep reading to discover the symbolism behind this colour, see my Polyvore creations and listen to some beautiful music.

Symbolism

Like most shades of pink, rose symbolises love, romance, beauty, tenderness and sweetness. A rose pink ribbon symbolises breast cancer awareness and like lilac and purple, the colour is sometimes associated with the gay rights movement.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, rose is one of the colours of the heart chakra Anahata. The other colour is green, it's complimentary colour. In Catholicism, it symbolises happiness and is used to mark the halfway point in both Advent and Lent.

The colour is also linked to joy and cheerfulness, for example in the phrases 'coming up roses', 'everything's rosy' and 'a rosy outlook'. People who are optimistic to the point of only seeing pleasant things are often described as wearing or looking through 'rose tinted glasses'. 

Rose pink is also associated with femininity in most cultures. However, this hasn't always been the case. Before the early 20th century, pink was considered a masculine colour and blue a feminine one. An article in the trade publication Earnshaw's Infants' Department in June 1918 said:

"The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl."

It just goes to show how perceptions of a colour can change!

Complementary colour: Light green

Plants and flowers: Roses, clematis, hibiscus, tulips, dahlia, peonies, magnolias, rhododendron, cherry blossom, hyacinth, phlox.

Animals: Ocelated frog fish, pigs, roseate spoonbill birds, major mitchell's cockatoo, some fish, Amazon river dolphins, flamingos.

Foods: Strawberry ice cream, cupcakes, candy floss (cotton candy), macarons, many sweets.

My Rose Pink Polyvore Creations

Here's a beautiful cover of Édith Piaf's 'La Vie en Rose' (life in pink/life through rose-coloured glasses), sung by Daniela Andrade.

Are you a fan of rose pink? Do you consider it a particularly feminine colour? What do you think of Daniela Andrade's cover?