Why can't I write your name in red?

As a teacher, there's one thing I've always got handy and that's my red pen. It's the only writing utensil that you can guarantee that I'll have on me at all times. So last week when a Chinese mom needed to give me her contact info, I casually handed her the nearest one. Holy cow, by the look on her face, you'd think I handed her a snake! She hesitated then asked me directly if it was okay to use a red pen. I thought, well yeah, I gave it to you! Go right ahead.

After she left, I vaguely remembered that there was a Chinese red ink name taboo of some sort and I set out to investigate. I asked my boss Jane about this one. Turns out, writing someone's name in red ink means that they are dead... or if that person is alive, it means that you want them to die.

Jane proposed an origin for this taboo. She said that long ago, epitaphs on gravestones were carved and filled in with red paint. In modern times, names in Chinese obituaries and posthumous credits are also printed in red.

So how do you get from Chinese obituary to red ink death wish curse??? We'll have to take a look at the Psychology of Religion for that! So for the Chinese, writing a name in red is part of a sacred ritual. Boundaries between the sacred and the profane define what is taboo. For centuries navigating taboos has given birth to superstitions, AKA supernatural consequences for appeasing or violating the sacred. So, in this case, the punishment fits the crime: red name = DEATH. Or in the hands of the devious, a curse of death.

Jane also mentioned that writing someone's name inside a square or rectangle is also a curse because tombs and tombstones are rectangular. It's like wishing someone were dead and buried. Good to know. So I guess writing someone's name on one of these might be out of the question???