Obviously. I Got A Little Distracted.

https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-2020-summer-olympics-opening_28.html

The earlier, "Strength From Within" section of the Opening Ceremony. Looked at something else that is shared across many different cultures.

The concept that the heart is where emotions such as love are located. Those emotions can be manipulated by the strings connected to the heart. The; "Heartstrings."

That idea comes from the work of Plato and his student Aristotle. 

It became universal because their work was written down. Allowing it to be shared the World over. 

Amongst other scholars who would repeat Aristotle's experiments. Confirming his theories.

The global association between the colour purple and Royalty is different though. 

It seems to have sprung up spontaneously in many different cultures. Which seem to have nothing connecting them.

They did though have one thing in common. Planet Earth and the natural environment it provides.

The purple dye used by King Solomon and the Roman Emperors comes from a Sea Snail that lives in the Mediterranean Sea. Specifically from a poison called Purpurin, which they use to hunt their prey.

A similar, but different type of Mollusc also exists in the seas around Japan. The poison extracted from these Akanishi-kai is also used to make purple dye.

Both the Mediterranean Sea Snail and the Japanese Akanishi-kai live underwater. Making them hard for humans to get to. 

The are also very small, relative to humans. So contain very tiny amounts of Purpurin.

Meaning that to dye a garment the size of an adult t-shirt you would need to harvest something like 15,000 of these molluscs.

The massive amount of labour needed to turn all those Molluscs into a dye. Making for an extremely expensive product.

Meaning it could only be afforded by the richest in society. Who tended to be Emperors or Monarchs.

Under the Twelve Level Rank And Cap System. It was only the Emperor who was able to wear purple produced with Akanishi-kai dye.

Even his son Prince Shotoku, who invented the system. Along with the Daitoku and Shotoku. 

Had to make do with purple produced with a dye made from Purple Gromwell. A shrub, which although still rare. Is, at least, landbased.

Purple is also at the very edge of the colours that humans can see. The Visible Light part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

It is something else that seems common to all humans. Regardless of where they have lived in the World, or in history.

This concept that when people die. They move on from this dimension onto another plane of existence.

Probably the most simplistic version comes for Christianity. Where good people go to Heaven and bad people go to Hell. For all of eternity.

Within most Asian Animist religions this other dimension is based around the Buddhist concept of; "Naraka."

Although they can be there for a very long time, billions of years. Naraka is not a final resting place for the dead. 

So much as a land their ghosts must travel through. In order to return to this dimension. Reincarnation.

Followers of these religions mourn their loved ones by leaving gifts for them at shrines. These gifts are supposed to help aid and sustain them on the journey through Naraka. 

Food and water the most common gifts. There is no worse fate than being a; "Hungry Ghost."

Other things that ghosts may need on their journey through Naraka are offered in paper sculpture form. Which is then set on fire.

money has always been popular. But, apparently, demand for Covid vaccines now extends into Naraka and spirit world too.

Perhaps the most famous example of preparing for the journey through Naraka was that of Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. 

Whose supporters buried him with an 8,000 strong Terracotta Army. To conquer the afterlife.

What is perhaps less known is that Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army also includes battalions of musicians, strongman and acrobats. To entertain the afterlife.

Along with thousands of bureaucrats. With which to administer the afterlife.

Particularly in Japan it is believed that each year ghosts are given a couple of days holiday from Naraka. The; "Obon Festival."

In which they're able to return to this dimension, albeit still in spirit form. To visit their relatives and thank them for all the gifts they've given them.

At the end of the festival. Relatives light paper lanterns to guide the ghosts back to Naraka. 

A tradition that seems to have caught on in the west. Even if no-one seems to understand its origins.

And, as if to prove. That I've yet to stab a Radiograher.

Surely E=Mc² proves. That belief is shared because it is a universality we've all, always, know to true.

After all.

A garden compost heap. Isn't, normally, something you'd think would spontaneously combust and explode.

See, also; "Cinderella."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDgkFPIStxI (What's Left Of The Flag, Flogging Molly, Audio, SideOneDummy).