Liturgical Colors and Paraments
Paraments
The linens and cloth hangings used on communion tables, altars, pulpits and lecterns. The colors of the paraments reflect the traditional colors of the seasons of the Christian year. The paraments are changed by the Wickline Worship Team as the seasons of the Christian year change.
What Colors Are Used And When
White
White symbolizes purity, holiness, and virtue, as well as respect and reverence. White is used for all high Holy Days and festival days of the Church Year, especially the seasons of Christmas and Easter, as well as for baptism, marriage, ordination, and dedications. It is also used for funerals as a symbol of the resurrection.
Green
Green symbolizes the renewal of vegetation and generally of living things and the promise of new life. It is used for the Season of Epiphany between Transfiguration Sunday and the beginning of Lent, and for Ordinary Time between Trinity Sunday (first Sunday after Pentecost) and the beginning of Advent.
Purple
Purple can symbolize pain, suffering, and therefore mourning and penitence. It is the liturgical color for the Season of Lent. It is also the color of royalty, so traditionally has also been used for Advent and is still used in Catholic churches. However, Blue is replacing purple for Advent in many Protestant churches.
Red
Red is the color of fire and so symbolizes the presence of God. It is the liturgical color for Pentecost. It is considered the color of the Church, since red can also symbolize the blood of martyrs. It is sometimes used for Maundy Thursday and during Eastertide. In some traditions it is used to commemorate special days for martyrs or saints.
