(Redirected from Liturgical colour)'Liturgical colours' are colours of
vestments and
paraments within a
Christian liturgy. The symbolism of
violet,
white,
green,
red,
gold,
black, and
rose may serve to underline moods appropriate to a season of the
liturgical year or may highlight a special occasion.
Roman Catholicism
Generally, in the
Roman Rite reformed by
Pope Paul VI, the following colours are used.
[''Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani'', no. 346]
Table of Catholic Liturgical colours
Vestments made from '
cloth of silver' or '
cloth of gold' may be used on days of special solemnity. Historically, silver was permitted as a substitute for white, and gold as a substitute for white, red, or green.
In addition to the general rules, there are some exceptions.
★ '
White', in the United States, may be worn instead of violet or black at
Funeral Masses expressing the hope of the
Resurrection, especially in the funerals of children. This is also appropriate if white is traditionally the colour of mourning in a country, such as some Asian nations.
★ '
Blue', a colour associated with the
Virgin Mary, is allowed for the feast of the
Immaculate Conception in some dioceses in
Spain,
Mexico and
South America. In some places there is an unauthorized use of blue for all feasts of the Virgin Mary. In the
Philippines because of the persistence of local priests in using this colour, the Vatican has granted it special usage in all Marian feasts, replacing white. Blue has also become an unauthorized but common colour in some places for the season of Advent,
[2] and in this case symbolizes expectation and hope - the blue of a new dawning day.
★ '
White' or '
cloth of gold' may be worn from the 16th to the 24th December, when celebrating a traditional
novena. This
Spanish custom was abolished in the 1950s, but through an error, it was only abolished in Spain, and therefore remains licit and common in the
Philippines. Further, if not enough vestments of the proper colour are available (particularly in
concelebrations), white may always be substituted.
The
Roman Rite promulgated by Pope St. Pius V, which is still used by some priests, varies from the above uses in some minor aspects. Violet is worn on days of
fasting (such as
Ember days and
Rogation days), on the Sundays preceding Lent, and on vigils. Black is used on Good Friday and is the only colour proper at Masses for the Dead.
Anglicanism
Many
Anglican churches use the colours appointed in the Roman Rite. Others use the traditional colours associated with the
Use of Sarum. In these churches, 'blue', rather than 'violet', is used during
Advent and, especially among
Anglo-Catholics, on
Marian feasts. 'Crimson' is used during
Holy Week, or throughout
Passiontide (
Passion Week and Holy Week). Some churches replace 'violet' during
Lent (except the week or weeks during which crimson is used) with a 'Lenten array' consisting of unbleached
muslin cloth (varying in colour but usually ranging from off-white to beige) with accents of 'crimson' or 'black'.
More traditional churches will use 'black' on
Good Friday and at
requiem masses of adults. More commonly, 'White' or 'Violet' is often used for
funerals and memorial services; 'white' is always used at such services where a younger person has died. 'White' is used at
baptisms and
weddings.
Table of Anglican Liturgical colours
| Season | Common Worship | Traditional Anglican |
|---|
| 1st Sunday in Advent | Purple | Purple | |
| 2nd Sunday in Advent | Purple | Purple | |
| 3rd Sunday in Advent | Purple | Purple or Rose | |
| 4th Sunday in Advent | Purple | Purple | |
| Christmas Day | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| 1st Sunday of Christmas | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| Epiphany | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| 1st Sunday of Epiphany | White or Gold | Green | |
| 2nd Sunday of Epiphany | White or Gold | Green | |
| 3rd Sunday of Epiphany | White or Gold | Green | |
| 4th Sunday of Epiphany | White or Gold | Green | |
| 5th Sunday of Epiphany | White or Gold | Green | |
| Purification | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| Septuagesima | Green | Purple | |
| Sexagesima | Green | Purple | |
| Quinquagesima | Green | Purple | |
| Ash Wednesday | Purple or Unbleached linen | Purple or Unbleached linen | |
| 1st Sunday in Lent | Purple or Unbleached linen | Purple or Unbleached linen | |
| 2nd Sunday in Lent | Purple or Unbleached linen | Purple or Unbleached linen | |
| 3rd Sunday in Lent | Purple or Unbleached linen | Purple or Unbleached linen | |
| 4th Sunday in Lent | Purple or Unbleached linen | Purple or Unbleached linen | |
| Passion Sunday | Purple or Unbleached linen | Purple or Unbleached linen | |
| Palm Sunday | Red | Red | |
| Maundy Thursday | White | White | |
| Good Friday | Bare | Bare | |
| Holy Saturday | Bare | Bare | |
| Easter Day | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| 1st Sunday in Easter | White | White or Gold | |
| 2nd Sunday in Easter | White | White or Gold | |
| 3rd Sunday in Easter | White | White or Gold | |
| 4th Sunday in Easter | White | White or Gold | |
| 5th Sunday in Easter | White | White or Gold | |
| 6th Sunday in Easter | White | White or Gold | |
| Ascension Day | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| Whitsunday | Red | Red | |
| Trinity Sunday | White | White or Gold | |
| Sundays of Trinity | Green | Green | |
| 4th to 1st Sunday before Advent | Red or Green | Green | |
| All Saints' Day | White or Gold | White or Gold | |
| All Souls' Day | Red or Green | Purple | |
| Remembrance Sunday | Red or Green | Purple (or Black for Requiem Mass) | |
Protestantism
Some
Protestant churches, especially
Lutherans and
Methodists use a colour scheme similar to those used by Anglicans and Roman Catholics, although the practice is not universally followed. Many Protestant churches reject the idea of liturgical colours entirely.
The
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, uses the same colour scheme as that of the Anglicans and their Scandinavian Lutheran counterparts, but with the use of gold only for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday services, with Holy Week using scarlet in place of crimson – congregations lacking scarlet vestments use purple from Palm Sunday through Holy Wednesday and white for Maundy Thursday. Black, traditionally use by the Anglican Communion for Good Friday and funerals, was used by the ELCA only for Ash Wednesday, but effective with the new ''
Evangelical Lutheran Worship'' (ELW) book, which replaces the ''
Lutheran Book of Worship'' (LBW), black is no longer suggested for Ash Wednesday or Good Friday – purple may be used for Ash Wednesday and no colour for Good Friday. In addition, the ELW suggests that blue, the traditional colour for Advent (with purple being the alternate), be used for the Advent season, reflecting the traditional use of blue in the Scandinavian Lutheran churches.
Both the
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), along with the
United Methodist Church use a similar system, but with purple being the primary colour for both Advent and Lent (with blue being the alternate colour for Advent only), and the use of gold in place of white for both Christmas and Easter (in similar practice to the Roman Catholic Church). In the WELS, the use of red is also done during the ''Period of End Times'', a period of the Church in regards to the teachings of the Book of Revelation, culminating in the creation of the New Jerusalem (corresponding to Christ the King in the ELCA). In all three churches, including the ELCA, red is also worn on the last Sunday of October, in celebration of the
Reformation on October 31st, when
Martin Luther nailed the
95 Theses onto the door of Whittenburg Cathedral.
The United Methodist Church, prior to the mid-1990s, used red solely for Pentecost, even including the Sundays after Pentecost Sunday, with the use of green being reserved for the season of
Kingdomtide, which usually lasted from late August/early September until Christ the King (the last Sunday in Kingdomtide). Since the early 21st Century, the UMC has followed the ELCA practice of wearing red only for Pentecost and Reformation Sundays and green for the rest of the Pentecost season.
Orthodoxy
The
Orthodox churches do not have a universal system of colours, but only specify "light" or "dark" vestments in the service books. In the Greek tradtion,
maroon or
burgundy are common for solemn feast days, and a wide variety of colours are used at other times, the most common of which are gold and white.
Slavic-use churches and others influenced by Western traditions have adopted a cycle of liturgical colours. The particulars may change from place to place, but generally:
★ 'White' is used for
Pascha (in some areas bright red is used for Pascha),
Nativity,
Theophany, and other
Great Feasts of the Lord
★ 'Purple' (or red) for Saturdays and Sundays during
Great Lent
★ 'Black' for weekdays in Great Lent, and during
Holy Week (except
Holy Thursday)
★ 'Green' for
Palm Sunday,
Pentecost,
feasts of the Holy Cross and "venerable" (monastic) saints
★ 'Blue' for feasts of the
Theotokos
★ 'Red' for
Holy Thursday, feasts of the Cross,
John the Baptist,
martyrs, and for every day of the
Nativity Fast,
Apostles' Fast and
Dormition Fast (except during one of the Great Feasts)
★ 'Gold' is used as the default, when no other colour is called for. Churches dedicated to the
Theotokos may use blue as a default.
Previously, black would often be used for funerals, as a sign of
penance and mourning, but in the second half of the 20th century white became more common, as a sign of the hope of the Resurrection.
References
1. The optional use of 'blue' as a liturgical color for feasts of our Lady is restricted to a limited number of dioceses, as is explained in the text.
2. Cantica Nova Puplications, ''Advent Blues'', an editorial by Gary D. Penkala bemoaning the use of blue in the liturgy, December 2000
★ ''Ordo missae celebrandae et divini officii persolvendi secundum calendarium romanum generale pro anno liturgico 2005-2006'', Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2005.
External links
★
Christian Symbols, Crosses, Parament Colors; and their meanings
★
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
![Don\](images/articles/thumbs/beachrainthumb.jpg "Don\")
