Dec 24: Christmas Eve [Updated]

And finally, a Nativity scene as depicted by François Boucher in the 18th century. I will leave these last few posts open until the 26th of December, so you'll be able to answer despite the whole Christmas rush.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for participating!

What color is the Virgin Mary wearing?

A                       B                      C                      D


Ever since the Middle Ages, Mary is usually wearing blue (C).

This can be seen in most classic nativity scenes, three-dimensional or painted. Furthermore, red, green and blue is the color combination that symbolizes trinity, whereas green and blue point to the presence of Jesus. When talking about films, I don't like to dwell on the symbolic use of colors because symbolism usually is quite arbitrary. With religious paintings however, symbolic colors have been broadly established and were well-known among the people for centuries. Note how the blue coat contrasts the green skirt of the other woman, that wasn't really coming off as green in the picture above.