Colours Ecclesiastical

Colours, Ecclesiastical, were used in the Christian Church from early times to mark the seasons of the ecclesiastical year. Different sets of colours, however, were used in different dioceses.

The Roman sequence is - White, on the chief festivals and from Easter to Whitsuntide; red, in Whitsun week and on days of martyrs; violet, in Lent and Advent and on vigils and rogation days; and green on all other Sundays and weekdays. The Sarum use is - White, on certain principal festivals; red, on other Sundays and saints days; yellow, on feasts of confessors; black, on All Souls' Day and at funerals. Green and blue were sometimes used for festivals, and ash colour for Advent and Lent. The Gallican use resembled that of Sarum.