Ask Mr. Know-It-All: Why does the yellow ribbon symbolize Occupy Central?

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,
Why have people have adopted the yellow ribbon as the symbol of Occupy Central? — Yellow Bellied

In the US, the yellow ribbon became a common symbol of solidarity during the 444 days (what more unlucky Chinese number than that?) of the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis. Since then it’s transformed into a symbol of support for the American military and the hope that they will safely return, resurfacing particularly during the first and second Gulf Wars.

We might have somewhere much closer to home to thank for the yellow ribbons, though: The Philippines. Yellow was the color of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., leader of the opposition to dictator and President Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos declared martial law in 1972 after two terms of presidential rule, ruthlessly clamping down on dissent. Aquino spent seven years in prison before being allowed to travel to the US for medical reasons. Returning to Manila in 1983 after a three-year self-imposed exile, he was assassinated on the airport tarmac just seconds after setting foot on home soil.

The murder sparked a wave of resistance which culminated in 1986 in a three-day-long peaceful protest along a stretch of the enormous EDSA motorway which snakes around Metro Manila. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians lined the road in what became known as the “People Power Revolution” or the “Yellow Revolution,” so named for the yellow ribbons or yellow clothing protesters wore to demonstrate their support for Ninoy Aquino and his widow, Corazón. Marcos fled the country and Cory Aquino was elected president.

Is Hong Kong’s use of the yellow ribbon trying to channel the history of the Philippines’ great moment of self-determination? It’s very possible. Perhaps it’s also channeling the song which is said to have inspired the icon in the first place. It goes like this:

Round her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the winter, and the merry month of May.
When I asked her: why the yellow ribbon?
She said, “It’s for my lover, who is far, far away.”