Why Is The Red Carpet Red

Ap there are references to the aztecs and mayans using scarlet hued carpet in the 15th century henderson said.

Why is the red carpet red.

The red carpet at the oscars stretches about 900 feet long and 33 feet wide. Because of this scholars historians and. Red as a color has long been associated with prestige royalty and aristocracy. During renaissance art red carpets were pictured in portraits of wealthy families.

In a surprise that indicates why this year s emmy awards are being held on a remote basis two of the previously announced e. In modern times the first appearance of a red carpet was in 1902 when the new york central railroad used plush crimson red carpets to direct people as they boarded the train. Only the wealthy could afford such bold colors while the lower classes were stuck with plainer garb. Play by greek writer aeschylus is the first known reference to the glamorous practice of rolling out a red carpet.

Well it turns out that the tradition of red carpets goes back a really long way all the way to ancient greece where both red and purple were reserved for the nobility as it was rare and expensive. In the greek tragedy agamemnon when the king returns home from war his wife offers a floor of crimson broideries to spread for the king s path in other words. The origin of the phrase red carpet treatment meanwhile is thought to derive from the. A line in agamemnon the 458 b c.

That year sid grauman rolled out a red carpet for visitors to his chinese theater. The red carpet has since become a standard addition to high profile events involving political dignitaries. One of the first appearances of a red carpet in america came in 1922 seven years before the first academy awards. A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions and has in recent decades been extended to use by vips and celebrities at formal events.

The earliest modern mention of red carpets is in the renaissance period.