White Color Meaning and Symbolism

The Significance of White in One’s Personality

White is rarely seen to be someone’s favorite color since childhood. In fact, a person begin liking this color when he is going through a transitional phase in life, turning a new leaf or seeking for new directions like shifting to a new place, making their first overseas trip, or starting a new relationship. The influence of white may have a permanent impact on his personality or fade away if it was a result of the transitional phase in his life.

Such people may be a cleanliness freak, keen on maintaining hygiene at home, work or every sphere of life. They are also far-sighted, and well-balanced with an optimistic nature. They possess self-control and think well before taking any decision rather than acting impulsively. White lovers also display an increased level of confidence and are always striving to achieve perfection in whatever they do.

When someone has an increased obsession for white, he may be overtly self-sufficient, not wanting help from anyone, thus being a loner in life. Over usage of white also hints at a sense of coldness, loneliness and isolation. They also have a tendency to feign perfection by concealing their follies from others. Their striving to achieve perfection can get so intense that it might make such people critical of themselves as well as others.

A person with an aura of white is mostly spiritually enlightened. His spiritual wisdom helps him in controlling and pacifying his confused mind and intellect as well as providing support to others if they are in a dejected state. Their adaptable and versatile nature makes it easy for them to survive through any intense situation in life.

What Does the Color White Spiritually Mean in Your Dream

Dreaming of white hints at a kind of spiritual advancement or a new beginning that you may be encountering sooner in life.

Seeing a woman in white dress hints at your own wedding (if you are a man) or that of someone close to you. A spoilt white dress or something spilt on it is an indication of difficult times ahead.

White flowers means that someone has a feeling or affection towards you.

A white horse stands for spiritual awareness, good luck, and prosperity. It also means that you are holding back your emotions and affections when it comes to your personal and sexual life.

A white-walled room means that you might be dealing with a lot of negativity in life.

A white moth indicates that your loved one could be affected with a health condition which may even be fatal for him/her.

A white car symbolizes that a guest whom you have not seen for long may be visiting you. It also means that your life could go through a positive or negative change. However, a broken white car is a bad sign, hinting at any problems you could face in life.

To see white birds flying represents clarity of thoughts.

A white tiger signifies a good omen indicating positivity.

Having a vision of a white snake could be an indication of a new beginning in your life.

Meaning and Symbolism of White Objects in Different Aspects of Life

Flowers:  White rose– Innocent love, new beginning (in wedding); purity, sacredness, and hope for the bereaved family (in funerals);  Red and white rose together stand for marriage and unity; White lily– Virtue, devotion, chastity, purity, majesty, also representing the departed soul’s restored innocence (in funerals); White amaryllis– Feminity, innocence, purity and also mourning for loved ones.

Animals:  White Rabbit– Love, positivity, tenderness, hinting at a beautiful life; White horse– Power, wisdom and also death (in Christian tradition); White tiger -Beauty and power; White cat– Purity, fortune, happiness, virtue, good luck and rebirth; White rat – Abundance, adaptation and strength; White squirrel – Good luck.

Bird: Dove-Love, prosperity, kindness, peace, honor and forgiveness; White heron – Wisdom, self-reliance; White peacock – Purity, realization of the divine self; White hawk – Peace, and harmony; White raven – Spiritual cleansing; White owl– Wisdom and limitless knowledge; White duck –  Goodness, innocence, purity and at the same time lies, deceit, greed and lust (in some cultures).

White candle: Purification, healing, cleansing, peace, spirituality, sincerity, and enlightenment

White flag: Its significance differs from one culture to the other, though on the whole it is used as a symbol of surrender or negotiation during a battle or encounter.

White feather: Love, peace, hope, purity, and protection

White clothes: Besides purity and simplicity white garments’ meaning vary in different cultures. In Islam it stands for purity and Muslims are advised to clad in white particularly on Friday while attending prayers. In Christianity, it is the clothing of the clergy and white wedding gowns are also worn by the bride since it stands for innocence, goodness, light, virginity and purity. On the other hand in Hindu and Buddhist culture white is a dress of mourning, worn to funerals.

White diamond: When painted on the road it symbolizes that one is near to a pedestrian crossing.

White pearls: Beauty, purity, innocence, as well as a new beginning.

In business: Because of its plain and simple look, brands like Apple have used it as the base color for their products. Many businesses often design their website with a white background to create a sense of elegance and sophistication. Since it evokes discipline, a calming effect and purity many baby products, kitchen appliances as well as bathroom accessories comes in this color. In dental surgeries as well as doctor’s chamber, white is used as the theme color because of the hygiene and cleanliness. However, too much of white could result in coldness and sterility compelling patience to think that they would not get the warmth and comfort from the doctor’s, hence white may be blended with blue or pink.

In literature:  Brightness, goodness and purity as white as snow means purity, innocence and cleanliness; a white knight coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress indicates goodness in character. In fact the color is always symbolized as positivity against dark or black that hints at negativity.

The white ribbon has a host of meanings used by various political movements, one of the most significant being, to protest against the violence meted to a woman as well as secured motherhood. It is even a symbol of generating awareness to prevent teen pregnancy and also as a mark of protest against child pornography.

What Does White Represent In Different Religion and Culture

In Christianity: Biblically, white stands for victory, conquest, righteousness, light, harvest and the bride of Christ.

In Islam: It represents purity and cleanliness.

In Hinduism: It stands for cleanliness, purity and peace. It also symbolizes knowledge, a reason why Goddess Saraswati, the deity of learning is seen dressed in white. It is even associated with death and mourning and Hindu widows especially in the older times were seen dressed in white.

In China: Since in Asian cultures white symbolizes mourning, misfortune and unhappiness, in China this color is mostly worn to funerals.

In Japan: White has a variety of meanings in Japan. On one hand, it stands for death and mourning, while at the same it is associated with wedding especially if white garments or a kimono is accompanied with an obi that is colorful.

In Africa: It means purity, good luck, goodness and peace.

In Latin America: It indicates peace.