The Color Red

From the five element colors, red is fire, a source of warmth, comfort and protection in a hostile environment.

On the grassland, red belongs to the red poppy that sprouts at the height of the wildflower season in mid-July, and to the berries that children are so fond of in the autumn. In the world of man, this hue of life and death finds its place in the temples and monasteries, as a part of the spectrum of sacred tones; darker shades of red, then melting into oranges and culminating in yellow. On the walls and in the friezes, red is the highest accent of the spectrum. Among lay people, it is used in belts, to accent the black or dark red chubas for both men and women. Men use it to fringe their hats, or string into their hair. In the past, a bright red was obtained through a complicated dyeing process using lak, a natural dye.