A Christian-Themed Tartan?

[Paul Henry]

snip...

GREEN: The colour Green is representative of Frankincense. Frankincense is made by cutting a tree named “Arbor Thurisfrom”. Practically Frankincense would be a familiar smell to baby Jesus as this would help getting the stable smelling better with all those animals in there with them. Frankincense is used as a perfume but mostly it was burned as sweet incense during worship. Aaron would burn Frankincense at the altar as a sweet offering to the Lord. Symbolically Frankincense represented the divinity of Christ because as mentioned Frankincense was burnt as an offering to God.
The colour of the sap of this tree is believed to be green.

RED: The colour red represents Myrrh. Although Myrrh, like Frankincense, is also the sap from a tree that is hardened and then used, unlike Frankincense which is sweet, has a bitter taste to it. It was also used as a perfume, an ingredient of holy ointments but it’s most practical use for Mary & Joseph would be its medical uses. Myrrh represents the bitter cup that Christ had to drink in suffering for our sins spilling his blood for us and the healing that his death brings.
The sap of this tree goes dark red when dried.
...snip

I'm very curious about this, Frankinsense comes from the Boswellia tree , and yes cuttings are made on the bark, a light coloured resin exudes, which dries hard, which can be used as incense. Nowhere have I seen any reference to a green colour,indeed the actual resin is either slightly amber or clear.
It's perfectly possibly that “Arbor Thurisfrom” is another name for frankinsense, but the only reference I can find is one religious based sites, so perhaps they use that name instead of the more correct botanical one.
Myrhh comes from a thorny shrub Commiphora, and again the sap is collected and dried and is light yellow when new, and ages to a rich amber when aged, but it would hardly be called red.

I'm not meaning to dismiss the efforts of creating a special tartan,infact it's a nice idea to celebrate something special, but I can't find any references that use the red and green colours in association with frankinsense and myrhh.
I'd be happy to look at your references especially any that say that Frankinsense is green

[Ina Murison-McGowan]

Paul,

Thank you for your comment.

The explanation I have added to the colours red, green and gold are more symbolic than anything else.
I wanted the Christmas Tartan to be in these colours as we all grew up with and associate them with ‘Christmas’.
It is more important to me that the reason why we celebrate Christmas is understood and passed on.
So matching a meaning up with the colours is secondary.
I thought to perhaps try and tell the story of Jesus` birth through these colours, using the gifts He received as a baby.
I was however very (pleasantly) surprised to see some connection to the colours green and red.
Frankincense:
I have a bottle of Frankincense oil that was bought for me in Jerusalem. It is green in colour.
Olive green I may add so it is quite possible that the sap was mixed with olive oil.
However in
http://lubanchem.com/products.htm it describes Frankincense as Greenish-yellow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankincense It is often light yellow with a slight greenish tint.
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essen...ankincense.htm Frankincense has a woody, spicy, haunting smell, a little bit camphoric, but very pleasant. It is pale yellow-green in colour.
Today there is much confusion about the various species and origins of Frankincense.
http://www.scentsofearth.com/frankincense.htm
The colour could vary from white, pale lemon, pale amber, pale green to dark amber.
Christians often used frankincense mixed with oils (most probably from the olive tree) to anoint newborn infants and individuals considered to be moving into a new phase in their spiritual lives.
This oil is green in colour.

These sites ‘adds and gives some credibility’ to the fact that Frankincense may very well have a greenish tint to it.
I have however used a much deeper and darker green in the tartan.

The same with the colour red.
http://www.helium.com/items/1668008-...m-the-wise-men
Myrrh:
Myrrh also comes from a tree. It is an aromatic gum which comes from the balsomodendron Myrrha. Myrrh oozes out of this thorn bush as a yellow-like substance.
However, when it hardens it is more of a dark red or black colour.
http://www.bible-basics-layers-of-un...nse-Myrrh.html
also speaks of Myrrh being dark red “When it oozes from the wounded shrub, myrrh is a pale yellow colour at first, but as it hardens, it changes to dark red.

I hope these links give some explanation to the matching of colour and meaning.
Ina