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ROMAN CATHOLICISM


Generally, in the Roman Catholic Church :
  • Green , symbolizing life, growth and hope, is worn during Ordinary Time ;

  • violet or ''' Purple ''', symbolizing penance and expiation, is worn during Advent and Lent , in Masses for the Dead and Funeral Masses, and formerly on days of Fasting such as Ember Days and Rogation Days ;

  • White or ''' Gold ''', symbolizing purity, holiness, joy, innocence and triumph, is worn during the Christmas and Easter seasons (including the Easter Triduum , except for Good Friday ), on feasts of The Lord, Our Lady , on feasts of the Angels, on feasts of all saints who were not martyrs. In the United States it may also be used for Funeral Masses (expressing the hope of the Resurrection , especially in the funerals of children);

  • Red , symbolizing fire and blood, is worn at Pentecost (to remind the faithful of the tongues of fire which descended on the Apostles ), on Palm Sunday and Good Friday , on feasts of the Holy Cross, on the feasts of saints who were also Martyr s, and on feasts consecrated to the Holy Spirit ;

  • Rose or ''' Pink ''', expressive of joy that half a penitential season is over, is authorised only on the Third Sunday of Advent ( Gaudete Sunday ) and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent ( Laetare Sunday ) as an alternative to violet. It is, however, not compulsory.

  • Black , symbolizing mourning, though still included as one of the church's liturgical colours, has fallen out of fashion in some places, but may still be worn on All Souls Day and in Masses for the Dead.


In addition to the general rules, there are some exceptions.
  • Blue , a colour associated with the Virgin Mary , is allowed for the feast of the Immaculate Conception in some dioceses on Spain , Mexico and South America . In some places, there is an unauthorized use of blue for all feasts of the Virgin Mary.

  • white or '''gold''' may be used 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 color are available (particularly in Concelebration s), white may always be substituted.



ANGLICANISM

Nearly all Anglican churches use colour systems that resemble those that are observed by the Roman Catholic Church, with a few differences. In many Anglican churches, Blue rather than purple is used during Advent , and crimson is used during Holy Week (formerly in the last two weeks before Easter ). Some churches replace purple during Lent (except Holy Week ) 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'''. These variations in colour compared to the Roman Catholic use originated in the medieveal Sarum Rite , which was practiced in England.
Churches also often use black on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday . '''White''' is often used for Funeral s and memorial services, as well as Baptism s and Wedding s. Some, especially Anglo-Catholics , use blue on Marian feasts.


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 (particularly the Reformed group) reject the idea of liturgical colours althogether. In the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America , the church uses the same color schemes as that of the Anglican Communion, except that black is worn only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, gold is worn only on Easter Sunday, and scarlet, in place of crimson, is worn for Holy Week. In the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod , the church uses the traditional color scheme of the Roman church, with the exception of using a red Parament and Stole on the Sunday nearest to October 31 (or Reformation Day ), and the allowance of blue to substitute for purple during Advent if a congregation desires.


EASTERN ORTHODOXY


The , Christmas , and Theophany (in some areas bright red is used for Pascha); purple for weekends and '''black''' for weekdays in Lent ; '''green''' for Pentecost and feasts of the Holy Cross (as well as, in parishes with a sense of humor, for St. Patrick's Day ) ; '''blue''' for feasts of the Theotokos ; '''red''' for feasts of martyrs and for the Nativity fast; and '''gold''' as the default.


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