I am always as excited as a 5-year old on Christmas morning to see one and stop to take in the beauty every time. According to Britanica, a rainbow is a “series of concentric coloured arcs that may be seen when light from a distant source—most commonly the Sun—falls upon a collection of water drops—as in rain, spray, or fog. The rainbow is observed in the direction opposite to the Sun.” So amazing! Water, light, reflection and refraction—rainbow! Simple, right? And yet, rainbows are rare and have held great significance since ancient times. Perhaps that is why humans use the rainbow as a powerful symbol.

In Celtic and Irish folklore, the rainbow is a symbol of prosperity and good luck— most commonly as the path to a pot of gold. Many religions and spiritual groups believe rainbows symbolize hope, renewal, and encouragement—light after the storm (literally and metaphorically). In the Judeo-Christians faith, a rainbow appeared to symbolize the end of the flood and a new hope.

Hinduism connects the colours of the rainbow with the chakras in the human body with red at the base of the spine moving through the colours to the top of the head (violet) where “the life force departs at death”. And in Norse mythology, the rainbow is a bridge called the “Bifröst, which connects Asgard and the gods to the world of man. Seeing a rainbow is a sign of safety for the Vikings as it means that Ragnarok has not come to pass.

In 1978, Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to create a symbol for Pride. Baker created a symbol that illustrated diversity as a “rainbow of humanity”. (glbthistory.org) Each color is meant to represent a different element of LGBTQ culture ( Pink=sex; red=life; orange=healing; yellow=the sun; green=nature; turquoise=art and magic; blue=serenity; purple=the Spirit) and has become an iconic symbol for queer identity, culture, politics and society. Originally an eight stripe flag, the artist made adjustments due to the availability of colors for flags and symmetry and is now the six color iconic flag we proudly wave today.

June is Pride month and the rainbow, as created by Gilbert Baker, has become the universally recognized symbol for the LGBTQ+IA2S community for diversity, inclusion, and the spectrum of human sexuality. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+IA2S community and a founding member of Pride Above the Clouds, I embrace the joy I have always felt when seeing a rainbow in the sky with even more glee than before. You have a chance to catch a rainbow in Woodland Park on Sunday, June 7 from 10:00-3:00pm at Memorial Park. Join the family-friendly celebration of love, equity and acceptance where you will meet your neighbours, enjoy vendors and local live performers, and learn a little more about Pride—and add to what a rainbow means to you.