Liturgical colors are
those specific colors which are used for
vestments and
hangings within the context of
Christian
liturgy. The symbolism of
violet,
white,
green,
red,
gold,
black,
rose, and other colors may serve to underline moods appropriate
to a season of the
liturgical year or may highlight a special occasion.
There is a distinction between the color of the vestments worn by
the clergy and their
choir dress, which with a few exceptions does not change with
the liturgical seasons.
The Roman Rite
In the
Roman Rite, as reformed by
Pope Paul VI, the following colors are used.
Ritual Masses are celebrated in their proper color, in white,
or in a festive color. Masses for Various Needs, on the other hand,
are celebrated in the color proper to the day or the season or in
violet if they bear a penitential character. Votive Masses are
celebrated in the color suited to the Mass itself or even in the
color proper to the day or the season.
On more solemn days, festive, that is, more precious, sacred
vestments may be used, even if not of the color of the day. Such
vestments may, for instance, be made from
cloth of silver (permitted in the past only for white) or
cloth of gold (historically allowed in place of white, red, or
green). Moreover, the Conference of Bishops may determine and
propose to the Apostolic See adaptations suited to the needs and
culture of peoples.
Regional and situational exceptions
Some particular variations:
-
White
may, in various English-speaking countries, be worn instead of
violet or black at
Funeral Masses, expressing the hope of the
Resurrection, especially in the funerals of children. In
countries where white is the traditional color of mourning, as
in some parts of Asia, white is the obligatory color in Masses
for the dead.
-
Blue, a color associated with the
Virgin Mary, is allowed for the feast of the
Immaculate Conception in some dioceses in
Spain,
Portugal,
Mexico and
South America. In the
Philippines it is authorized for all feasts of the Virgin
Mary, a practice followed in some other places without official
authorization. There have also been unauthorized uses of blue in
place of violet for the season of Advent,[5]
as a symbol of expectation and hope - the blue of a new day.
-
White
or
cloth of gold was traditionally used when celebrating a
novena from 16 to 24 December in accordance with a
Spanish custom that was abolished in that country in the
1950s, but that still holds in the
Philippines. Further, if not enough vestments of the proper
color are available (particularly in
concelebrations), white may always be substituted.
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