Every time you think of going on a vacation to the sun-soaked beaches of Greece and type the country on your browser, you see photographs of elevated houses near the beach – each distinctly coloured in white and blue, is it not? Just like Goa’s Fontainhas, the Greek city of Santorini has a cultural identity which is reflected through the colours of their houses as well. But the blue and white colour wasn’t suddenly decided upon. Before it became a colour norm, it was a necessity for health and environmental safety. Here’s decoding the blue and white colours of Greece.
Strolling along the streets of a Greek Island, the aesthetic that hits your eyes is the blue and white colours of the streets and houses. That is not by chance but by meticulous planning and government instructions. To uncover the secret, let’s rewind the timeline to 1938.
A deadly epidemic
Back in 1938, Greece was affected by a tumultuous period of cholera epidemic. At that point in time, it was very necessary to keep the house – inside and outside- sanitised and clean. The then Government made it a rule that all houses should be whitewashed. Whitewash contains limestone, which is a natural disinfectant. This helped in protecting the houses and their inhabitants in such adverse times. That is why most of the houses are white in colour as they are whitewashed.
Before whitewashing was law
However, the story goes back even before whitewashing was a law. Geographically, if you look at the constructs of these Greek Islands, you would notice land elevation, rocky terrain and direct influence of the sunlight. This made it unbearable to live, especially during the harsh summers. Thus, many started mixing lime, water and salt and brushing this mixture against the stone and rocky structures. This mixture helped in reflecting light and sunrays, keeping the interior cool, especially during summers. Hence, houses started appearing white in colour. After the cholera epidemic, it almost became a mandate to have white houses. But where did the blue come from?
A cleaning agent that changed aesthetics
Now imagine, wherever you look, you only see the monotony of white colour. To break this aesthetics, people started painting the window shutters, doors, window edges and rooftops in blue colour. This blue colour was a result of mixing loulaki, a cheap cleaning agent found in every home, with lime powder. Thus, the blue colour broke the monotony, without breaking the pocket and also ushered in a new aesthetic to the region. These blue ‘paints’ also helped in protecting the houses from heat apart from enhancing the beauty of the place.
What started off as a way to protect people from the epidemic and later better the aesthetics has now become a cultural facet of the country. One can look at photographs and recognise that the place is Greece. Moreover, it has also matched with the National flag of Greece, which itself is blue and white in colour, making the narrative come full circle.
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