# How Did Purple Become a Color for Halloween?



## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

I was just wondering how the color purple came to be used for Halloween Decor? Was it the manufacturing companies that decided? Was it something from Halloween's past? 

What was it? I don't know!

If you think you know, how about answering it here!

Thanks!


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

I only associate it with black light. I have used dark purple string lights before only becuase of the small amount of light they give off. Otherwise I don't intentionaly use.purple as a primary color on anything.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Good question...but I don't know the answer. Maybe because sometimes when you are portraying a night sky you paint it dark blue or purple? I use a little bit of purple in my display, but not a bunch. The lights on the mantle are purple but don't show up that well in the photo.








But blacklights do look 'purple'.....


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## tuck (Oct 27, 2007)

I really have no idea, but here is my best guess: Orange, Purple, and Green are all secondary colors. Orange and Blue are actually complementary colors but Blue does not hold any supernatural type meaning as Purple does. Purple has different meanings from royalty, sophistication, and elegance, but it also can mean supernatural or magic. So basically because of meaning and closeness to the compliment of Orange is why I think purple is used. But I'm really just guessing


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

Orange and Black were the traditional colors used. Orange was associated with the harvest, which is part of why All Hallows Eve was celebrated, among other names and other rituals. And the druids burned orange bees wax candles. Black was a symbol of death. Possibly associated with All Saints' Day (also known as Hallowmas, All Hallows, and Hallowtide) and All Souls' Day Falling on November 1 and 2 respectively. This was a time for honoring the saints and praying for the recently departed who had yet to reach heaven. Day of the Dead also takes place on Nov 1. 

It seems the color purple has no historical marker. It appears to have made a place in our decor over the years simply because we like it and it works well with our modern celebrations and decor. Like Tuck said, I believe it may also conjure images of supernatural, mystery, night time, magic, etc. I am glad it does. I like it.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Really like the fireplace display, and especially the ghost, Pumpkin5. 

Interesting thoughts from all of you so far about the purple color. I tend to like it as well and I think it does add another dimemsion to the decor.


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## SterchCinemas (Aug 22, 2011)

I think its just a dark, goth-like color. Although, thats quite stereotypical, i guess.


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## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

The Devil.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

Troll Wizard said:


> Really like the fireplace display, and especially the ghost, Pumpkin5.
> 
> Interesting thoughts from all of you so far about the purple color. I tend to like it as well and I think it does add another dimemsion to the decor.


:jol: Awww thanks Troll, that is sweet of you to say. The mantle picture is from my annual Witch's Night Party, and the ghosties with the mosties are from Halloween night hanging over my graveyard. I think I like what Tuck said the best, that purple comes from the magical, mystery realm of royalty, wizards and wonder....Tuck is very smart.....


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## tuck (Oct 27, 2007)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol: Awww thanks Troll, that is sweet of you to say. The mantle picture is from my annual Witch's Night Party, and the ghosties with the mosties are from Halloween night hanging over my graveyard. I think I like what Tuck said the best, that purple comes from the magical, mystery realm of royalty, wizards and wonder....Tuck is very smart.....


Awww thanks Pumpkin, I don't know about smart, I just have useless information stored away. I suppose my art class did pay off though


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Aside from the significance of the color purple, I suspect that, somewhere along the way, someone used that color in a Halloween ad or picture, and it just plain caught on, rather like the evolution of the iconic image of Santa Claus


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## Silent Howl (May 31, 2012)

in art when you color black you use purple and dark blue to shade...might be of use...


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

I really have no factual info on this, but I do think purple looks great in a scary Halloween night sky, or in a witch robe. It just seems to really fit the Season and decor.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

From everything I have read so far, all of you are right in your answers. I'm finding out that it also means royalty, it has calming effects, nighttime, mystical, spiritual, can cause people to be uneasy, and young girls like purple. 

No one really knows how and why purple came about for Halloween but I guess from what I have read it's been used for almost a century. :jol:


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I was probably Martha Stewart..... :zombie:

I am guessing it is like any other decor. People decorate with pastel blues and all other colors for Christmas but it doesn't make it a Christmas color. 

Orange and Black to me represent Halloween thanks to all of those vintage decorations and pumpkins. Dark Red, Dark Purple, Bright Green, Orange and Black look good for the types of decorations and costumes we use during the season, and they look good together.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Haunted Bayou said:


> I was probably Martha Stewart..... :zombie:
> 
> I am guessing it is like any other decor. People decorate with pastel blues and all other colors for Christmas but it doesn't make it a Christmas color.
> 
> Orange and Black to me represent Halloween thanks to all of those vintage decorations and pumpkins. Dark Red, Dark Purple, Bright Green, Orange and Black look good for the types of decorations and costumes we use during the season, and they look good together.


Well I think of Christmas as being muliti-color! But with Halloween I've always thought of the autumn colors and of course black and orange. A lot of the colors for Halloween also translates to Thanksgiving, but that's another story. :jol:


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

It may have to do with how I our eyes see purple. It occurs high up at the upper reaches of our vision range around 640nm. We see green the easiest. What this means is that if the exact same volume of photons are produced in green and Purple, we will see the green as much brighter. That is why the purple twinkle lights seem dark even though they are bright. It gives a “magical” look to us. A gem stone called “Mystic fire” has a similar effect. The stones are bright yet dark in color, it gives a mystical look to jewelry.


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

I can't comment on how everyone uses purple, but I've always used purple as a substitute for black when I want to use black as a primary enhancer. For example, if I want to accent a particular item, but black will be the outlining color I'll choose to use purple as the primary coat, and use black as the highlighting color for the edges. So as far as I can tell its a great replacement color for black. So I would assume it came about as a replacement for black when black is too dark, or not the appropriate color. (As if black were EVER inappropriate!!!)


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I think it's the color of she sky in the opening of "Scooby Doo...", isn't it? LOL....

EDIT_ nope. its blue....but maybe it started in cartoons...when blue & black became to boring. If you think about it, purple isn't used much in classic cartoons...maybe to hard to keep uniform?


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

The cool thing about purple is that, because it's a mix of red and blue, it appears to be a warm color when put next to a cool color and a cool color when next to a warm color. Extremely versatile in creating visual interest this way.

It's also just a nice shade to make "dark" have a little color to it.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Aquayne said:


> It may have to do with how I our eyes see purple. It occurs high up at the upper reaches of our vision range around 640nm. We see green the easiest. What this means is that if the exact same volume of photons are produced in green and Purple, we will see the green as much brighter. That is why the purple twinkle lights seem dark even though they are bright. It gives a "magical" look to us. A gem stone called "Mystic fire" has a similar effect. The stones are bright yet dark in color, it gives a mystical look to jewelry.


WOW! Never really thought of it in this way. But I used to manage a paint store, and one of the things I learned was that no one person see's color that same way.

Everyone knows about Black Lights, but I don't think I have ever seen black lights strung in a row, like purple lights are. Now I don't mean black lights as we know them today, but lights that are colored black. So maybe that's why there is purple, just from the fact that you can still see light from them. Black would probably be just too dark. So purple came about.

Just a thought! :jol:


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

So I'm thinking that this has gone about as far as it can go. We have all come to the same conclusion that the color purple means several different things. 

But I think we can all agree that it is a cool addition to the Halloween season!!!!


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## randomr8 (Oct 24, 2009)

Devil's Advocate: It was subliminally pushed on us because someone had an over abundance of purple lights that were accidentally made. The advertising demons worked there magic to make us buy it. :googly:


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I think randomr8 is on to something


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

randomr8 said:


> Devil's Advocate: It was subliminally pushed on us because someone had an over abundance of purple lights that were accidentally made. The advertising demons worked there magic to make us buy it. :googly:


LOL! I agree, it must be those "MAD MEN" from AMC cable network doing this! :jol:


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## TheOneAndOnlyKelly (May 7, 2009)

Purple from the twilight sky, when a lot of ToTs are out? If that's the cause, it should be changed to daylight blue, as that's when the bulk of my visitors seem to come.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

randomr8 said:


> Devil's Advocate: It was subliminally pushed on us because someone had an over abundance of purple lights that were accidentally made. The advertising demons worked there magic to make us buy it. :googly:


:jol: Thank goodness it wasn't pink lights.....

(by the way...I am so addicted to _Mad Men_)


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol: Thank goodness it wasn't pink lights.....
> 
> (by the way...I am so addicted to _Mad Men_)


If it was pink lights, I don't think I would ever put out Halloween again. And yes, Mad Men is one of my favorite too! :jol:


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## Haunted Nana (Sep 23, 2010)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol: Good question...but I don't know the answer. Maybe because sometimes when you are portraying a night sky you paint it dark blue or purple? I use a little bit of purple in my display, but not a bunch. The lights on the mantle are purple but don't show up that well in the photo.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I love your mantle display especially you witchs on the mantle.


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