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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.
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 Funeral s and memorial services; '''white''' is always used at such services where a younger person has died. '''White''' is used at Baptism s and Wedding s. Table of Anglican Liturgical colours 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:
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
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