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Liturgical Colours
The
United Church of Canada does not prescribe a particular set of
colours for vestments and church decorations. A number of colour schemes
have been used in recent centuries, some of which are quite complex.
They were first mentioned in the twelfth century.
Liturgical colours draw the attention
of worshipers to the rhythms of the liturgical year. However, schemes
for the use of colour should be regarded as suggestions and not as
absolute rules.
The use of red as sign of blood and fire
is easily explained, as is the use of white for purity in some cultures.
Reasons for the use of other colours are less accessible. In practice,
gold is often substituted for white and may suggest more immediately the
glory implied by the major feasts for which white is designated.
The scheme of white, green, violet
(purple), and red (and also black) was first legislated in rubrics by
Pope Pius V in 1570, but local customs persisted for a long time. It
became popular outside the Roman Catholic Church during the last
century. Blue was added for the season of Advent because it is an
ancient liturgical colour and was chosen to distinguish Advent from the
season of Lent, whose character is different.
Above information is from the Canadian
Church Calendar, when it was published jointly by
The
United Church of Canada and
The
Anglican Church of Canada. Creation Time, the time from the Sunday
after Labour Day until Thanksgiving Sunday, is not a church season but a
period when congregations celebrate that creation is an integral part of
the Christian Year, as described
at
this United Church of Canada site. The Canadian Church Calendar
also shows liturgical colours. Further information about liturgical
colours can be found at the
Vanderbilt
Divinity School Library website and
The
Voice, published by the Christian Resource Institute. The table
below shows a colour scheme for the different seasons, adapted from
these sources.
Season |
Period |
Colour |
Season after Epiphany |
Day after Baptism of the Lord - Shrove Tuesday (Jan 6 - Mar 4,
2025) |
Green |
Lent |
Ash Wednesday - Day before Palm Sunday (Mar 5 - Apr 12, 2025) |
Purple |
Palm Sunday (Apr 13, 2025) |
Red
or |
Purple |
Holy Week |
Holy Monday - Maundy Thursday (Apr 14 - 17, 2025) |
Red |
Good Friday - Holy Saturday (Apr 18 - 19, 2025) |
Black |
Easter |
Easter Sunday - Day before Pentecost (Apr 20 - Jun 7, 2025) |
Gold or |
White |
Pentecost (Jun 8, 2025) |
Red |
Season after Pentecost |
Day after Pentecost - Day before Trinity (Jun 9 - 14, 2025) |
Green |
Trinity (Jun 15, 2025) |
Gold or |
White |
Day after Trinity - Saturday after Labour Day (Jun 16 - Sep 6,
2025) |
Green |
Creation Time (Sep 7 - Oct 12, 2025) |
Orange |
Thanksgiving Day - Day before Advent (Oct 13 - Nov 29, 2025) |
Green |
Advent |
Advent 1 - Day before Christmas Eve (Nov 30 - Dec 23, 2025) |
Blue |
Christmas |
Christmas Eve - Baptism of the Lord (Dec 24, 2025 - Jan 12,
2026) |
Gold or |
White |
Season after Epiphany |
Day after Baptism of the Lord - Shrove Tuesday (Jan 13 - Feb 17,
2026) |
Green |