World Redhead Day is celebrated every year on May 26. It is a day set aside to celebrate everyone who has natural red hair. If you have red hair, you are considered a part of a unique group because less than 2% of the world’s population is born with naturally red hair. Red hair is more common and appears with greater frequency (between 2% and 6%) among those of Northern European descent. Red hair gets its color from high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin.
Redheads are those whose hair has a variety of red hues — from a deep burgundy or bright copper, or auburn, to burnt orange or red-orange to strawberry blond. Red hair is usually associated with fair skin color, lighter eye color, freckles, and sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
In ancient Asian civilizations (dating back to the second millennium B.C.), people were said to have red and auburn hair. There are several accounts of redheads in Greek literature. The ancient people Budini, Sarmatians, and Thracians were reported by Greek authors to be blue-eyed and red-haired.
Throughout history, red hair is believed to be good for women, but not for men. Red hair has been associated with evil, vampires, and witches; outsiders were usually portrayed sporting red hair because red hair was not very common. Some historians also attribute this negativity towards red hair to the belief that Judas Iscariot (the disciple who betrayed Jesus) had red hair. Red hair is also associated with someone with a temper. In the 16th and 17th centuries, women who had red hair were stigmatized as witches. An estimated 45,000 red-haired women suspected of being witches were burned during the witch trials.
Although there have been instances of discrimination and indifference towards redheads, acceptance, and celebration have become the norm. Redhead festivals take place across the globe from the Netherlands to Israel. There is also a magazine called “MC1R” exclusively for redheads. (“MC1R” stands for “melanocortin-1 receptor,” a protein-coding gene.)
