Yellow ribbon
The yellow ribbon is used for various purposes. It may be worn on a person, placed on a vehicle, around a tree, or for a neck tie.
History and etymology[edit]
Early Puritan history[edit]
The song/poem "She wore a yellow ribbon" has appeared in various forms for at least four centuries. It is based upon the same general theme: A woman of destiny is under some sort of test or trial as she waits for her beloved to return. Will she be true to him? This seems to be the lingering question and the basis for a great unfolding drama.
The song appears to have been brought to America from Europe by English settlers. The origin of the yellow ribbons seems likely to have come from out of the Puritan heritage. It was during the English Civil War that the Puritan Army of English Parliament wore yellow ribbons and yellow sashes onto the battlefield.
Bladder cancer and sarcoma[edit]
Yellow ribbons are the emblem used for bladder cancer and sarcoma awareness.[9]
Endometriosis[edit]
The yellow ribbon is the emblem for endometriosis awareness,[9][8] especially during March for endometriosis awareness month.[10] Yellow ribbons are worn by endometriosis patients and supporters, and is a common color for fundraising products. This was established by the Endometriosis Foundation of America in the 1980s, using the color yellow for its awareness brochure.
Microcephaly[edit]
The color associated with microcephaly awareness is yellow, as well.[11] Microcephaly is a physical finding consistent with the incomplete development of the head—and often the brain—at birth or soon thereafter.[12] Microcephaly Awareness Day is on September 30.[13]
Usage in various countries[edit]
Australia[edit]
In Australia, the Save Albert Park group has utilized the yellow ribbon as a symbol of protest. The group is a coalition protesting the reclamation of public space in Albert Park, Melbourne for the annual Australian Grand Prix. When the race moved to Melbourne in 1996, yellow ribbons were tied around the trees in the park which were designated for removal. Although the group was unsuccessful in protecting the designated trees, they and their supporters still tie ribbons around the trees each year at the time of the race.
In 2009, the yellow ribbon was used during the appeal for those affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires.
The yellow ribbon is also used for the Australian National Road Safety Week.[22]
Brazil[edit]
In Brazil, "Yellow September" is a movement to raise awareness about the problem of suicide in the country.[20]
Canada[edit]
A yellow ribbon, for any symbolic purpose, was uncommon in Canada until the Great War when it was used by mothers and wives of soldiers who were fighting. The ribbon represented a commitment, belief, and hope in the Canadian soldiers.
World War II created a more powerful nationalism and national pride when Canada entered the war. The yellow ribbon began to represent the close ties and strong relationship it had with France and Great Britain, forgiving the countries of all past wrongs and fighting for their brothers and sisters. As the war progressed and an allied defeat seemed imminent, the ribbon represented the close ties the soldiers had back home and for their country, Canada.
On September 11, 2001, three planes were hijacked and were deliberately crashed into World Trade Center 1, World Trade Center 2 and The Pentagon. A fourth plane was hijacked but failed to crash into its intended target, the White House. Nearly 3,000 Americans died. The Canadian Government enacted Operation Yellow Ribbon, to land hundreds of flights bound for the United States and all flights out of the United States. The ICAO announced at 9:40 am EDT that all U.S bound flights, whether over Canada or having had just departed, were to land in Canada anyway for security and protection purposes. Operation Yellow Ribbon represented Canada's connection and ties to America and Canada's commitment to give the American people who were stranded, food, healthcare, and shelter until all was safe and they could go home.
China[edit]
China utilizes the yellow ribbon as a reminder of the Sinking of Dong Fang Zhi Xing.[23]
Cuba[edit]
Cuba utilized the yellow ribbon to spread awareness of, and show ones support for freeing the Cuban Five imprisoned in the United States. On 12 September 2013, the fifteen year anniversary of the arrest of the Cuban Five, Cubans marked the day with a massive display of yellow ribbons. The symbol of the yellow ribbon to welcome loved ones home is an image Cubans hoped would resonate with the American people.[24]
Denmark and Sweden[edit]
In Denmark, the yellow ribbon has become the more or less official (though not directly officially endorsed by the countries' armed forces) symbol for support of troops in missions. In Sweden, Swedish Veteran Federation[25] and Stiftelsen Jesper Lindbloms Minne[26] is promoting it as a troop-supporting symbol, for both military and non-military personnel on peacekeeping missions. In Sweden the yellow ribbon is also associated with testicular cancer awareness, maybe more so than a symbol for support of troops in missions.
Estonia[edit]
In Estonia the yellow ribbon was taken into use on 13 May 2011 after the President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves made the following announcement on Facebook: "The families of the seven Estonian citizens taken hostage in Lebanon need all of our support. Not intrusive nosiness but rather quiet and committed support that says: your concern is our concern, we hope and believe together with you. Today, to show this, I put a yellow ribbon on my lapel."[27] The seven Estonian citizens referred to by the President, were taken hostage on 23 March 2011 in eastern Lebanon during a cycling trip.[28] On 14 July 2011 it was announced that the hostages had been freed.[29] The yellow ribbon was worn in person, but also virtually on Facebook. For that, a specialised Facebook App was created for people to automatically be able to add a yellow ribbon to their profile pictures.[27] As of 14 July 2011, 12,671 people had added the yellow ribbon to their profile picture.
Germany[edit]
In Germany, the yellow ribbon symbolizes solidarity with the armed forces.
Hong Kong[edit]
The yellow ribbon is used as a symbol for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and their demands for universal suffrage, as it has long been the official colour of many suffrage organisations, stemming from the women's suffrage campaign in the US in the 1860.[30] The yellow ribbon was first used by pro-democracy camp legislators in a press conference after the December 2005 protest for democracy in Hong Kong,[31] and was later adopted as a symbol among protestors during the 2014 Hong Kong protests.[32][33][34]
The yellow ribbon is used in many ways, in particular on social media, for demonstrating solidarity with the pro-democracy protestors, and it became more widely used after Hong Kong police fired tear gas and used pepper spray (capsaicin) to dissipate the students and protesters who were occupying Harcourt Road in Admiralty on 28 September 2014, in the 2014 Hong Kong protests. The meaning of yellow ribbon in Hong Kong has also extended to symbolise discountenance of the abuse of violence by the Hong Kong Police against pro-democracy protestors in the 2014 protests.[35]
In 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, yellow ribbon is symbolised as supporting pro-democracy protestors again, which is opposed to blue ribbon, and derives "Yellow economic circle".
Indonesia[edit]
In Indonesia, yellow ribbon is used as a symbol to show solidarity and sympathy for the victims of the riots and chaos in Indonesia May 13–15, 1998, who were mostly Indonesian Chinese.[36][37]