🎨 A Color of Power, Peace, and Pride 🍇The Mysterious Maroon

Look at this deep, rich red—almost like the color of grape juice or dark, juicy cherries. 🍇🍒 What would you name this color? Is it red? Is it brown? Maybe even a little purple? 🤔 What do you think this color is called?

Its real name is Maroon 👏 Ma – roon 👏—a color that has quietly traveled across oceans, stood in royal palaces, marched into battles, and wrapped itself around monks and students. 🌍🛡️👑

People have loved maroon for hundreds and hundreds of years. Artists say it has “depth”—like a color with a secret. 🎨🕵️‍♀️ A long time ago, people didn’t have a name for every shade they saw. They might call this one “brownish red” or “dark crimson.” But as trade routes opened and ships crossed seas 🌊, colors began to get new names—and new stories.

And guess what? The actual color maroon may have been discovered… by accident! Long ago, someone mixing dyes , ended up with a velvety, reddish-brown shade that made people stop and say, “Ooooh, what is that?” It was strong but not loud. Warm, but not wild. A color that makes you wonder. 🖌️✨

The name maroon comes from the French word “marron,” which means chestnut 🌰. People in Europe named this deep, warm red after the color of roasted chestnuts—because it had that same cozy, earthy glow.🔥🍂

But maroon isn’t just about fashion or food. It has a wild side too! 😮 In the Caribbean, there were brave groups of people called Maroons—escaped enslaved people who fled into the mountains and created their own secret villages 🏞️💪. They were named after the same French word, because they lived in wild places, free like the chestnut trees. And their story gave the word maroon a new meaning: strength, survival, and freedom.

Artists and designers loved maroon because it’s deep, rich, and full of feeling—but never too loud. Painters began using it for velvet cloaks, stormy skies, and powerful shadows in their artwork. 🎨 Designers liked it too—maroon became a favorite for royal robes 👑, Roman generals’ cloaks 🏛️, and even monks’ robes in places like Tibet 🧘‍♂️, where it symbolized calm and wisdom. Later, it marched into battle with paratroopers wearing maroon berets 🎖️ and proudly stood at graduation in universities like Harvard, as a color of knowledge and pride. 🎓📜 , and even danced through music! The Harvard University Band—famous for its joyful performances and spirited traditions—wears maroon uniforms too! 🎺🥁

It’s a color that quietly asks, “Can you name me?” It’s not quite red, not quite brown… something in between. You pause, you look again—how is this shade called? 🖌️✨

💭 I Wonder…

Can you create your own maroon by mixing colors? 🎨 🧪Take a small amount of red paint, add a bit of blue, then a tiny touch of black or brown. Mix slowly… what shade do you get? Can you find that perfect velvety maroon? Try adding more red or more blue until it feels just right. And after you invent your own perfect maroon, give it a fun name—like Berry Velvet, Chestnut Moon, or Autumn Whisper. 🍁

Can you find maroon in nature? Look closely! Do you see it in fallen leaves, ripe plums, flower petals, or the wings of a beetle? 🪲🍇🌺 Maybe it’s hiding in the feathers of a bird or the shell of a shiny seed. The world is full of colors waiting to be noticed—what maroon treasures can you discover?

🕵️‍♀️🌍 And if you’re curious about the people called Maroons, find who were they? Where did they live? How did they survive and build their own free communities in wild places? 💪🏾🏞️✨

With Montessori joy,

Vanina 😊