Why are houses white and blue in Greece?

During the colonel's dictatorship from 1967 to 1974, the junta established by Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos and Brigadier General Stylianos Pattakos mandated blue and white as standard colors for Cycladic homes. This was an attempt to boost patriotism and reflected Greek national pride.



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The blue and white colors of Greek island houses were initially chosen for practical reasons to cool the interiors and reflect heat. Blue became prevalent for doors and shutters as it was the cheapest paint color available to fishermen and sailors.

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The widespread use also emanates from an ancient belief that the sky blue shade of turquoise has the power to keep evil away. It is believed that the radiation of the colour composes an invisible shield which prevents the approach of bad spirits.

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Blue became prevalent for doors and shutters as it was the cheapest paint color available to fishermen and sailors. The military dictatorship enforced the blue and white coloring of Greek island houses, inspired by notions of patriotism and Greek nationalism.

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Yellow signifies “sadness” in Greece's culture and “jealousy” in France's culture.

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It mainly had to do with construction reasons. Domes in general are one of the first structural forms humans worked with in stone architecture. Spherical domes are used in Greece from appx. 5,800 BC.

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In response to a 1938 cholera outbreak, the government ordered citizens to whitewash their homes in order to slow the spread of the disease. At the time, disinfectant cleaning products were not widely available in the islands, but they had plenty of whitewash.

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It was not until 1967, that these two colors became a mandatory choice when the Junta, a right-wing military dictatorship mandated that all buildings must be painted or repainted to white and blue. The regime believed that this measure would inspire patriotism and reflect nationalism.

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Greek philosophers thought in terms not of three, but of four, basic colors: black, red, yellow and white: yet little or no attention has been paid to this conception as a system of thought.

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Come explore Santorini, Greece - where the brilliant blue waters of the Mediterranean stretch from the rocky cliffs and glimmering white buildings above.

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