Definition of Liturgical Colors

Traditionally colors have been associated with ideas and feelings. This link is also evident in the different religions. If we focus on the CatholicismDuring the liturgical year the priests are dressed in different colors, which depends on the festivity or solemn act that is celebrated at each moment. In this sense, the Catholic Church speaks of different liturgical times: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and ordinary time or the remaining Sundays of the year.

From these periods, liturgical colors are established for the clothing of the priests. These colors are green, purple, white, and red. With them the priests dress and adorn themselves to convey to the faithful some type of message during the celebration of mass.

Each color has a meaning

The color green is used during ordinary time and is a color that symbolizes the idea of hope for Christians. The color purple is used during two periods: Advent and Lent.

During the first one we want to remember the arrival of the Lord in mortal flesh and his arrival at the end of time.

From the second period on, it is intended communicate the idea of ​​penance, so it is a time of preparation for the essential mysteries of the redemption of men, as it happens during Holy Week.

On the other hand, purple is used in some ceremonies, such as those of the deceased during funerals. The white color recalls the joy Pascual and is used during the Christmas period and with it the satisfaction for the birth of Christ. Red is used to commemorate the blood shed by Christian martyrs or for the time of Pentecost and with this color the idea of ​​the Holy Spirit is transmitted as a fire that illuminates the soul human.

The dawn, the cincture, the stole and the chasuble

The colors of the priests' clothing are the four above indicated. With regard to clothing, the different garments are as follows:

1) the dawn is a white tunic that covers the whole body down to the feet and is the first garment with which the priest for the celebration of mass (with it the idea of ​​purity is symbolized and that the whole ritual is at the service of God),

2) the girdle is a cord that is placed around the dawn on the waist of the priest and symbolizes the spiritual union with God,

3) the stole is a thin strip of fabric that is placed over the dawn around the neck looking forward and over the shoulders (the stole symbolizes the power of Christ bestowed upon the priest) and

4) the chasuble is the upper layer with some of the liturgical colors and with it the consecration of the act celebrated (the chasuble symbolizes the idea of ​​charity of Jesus Christ towards all mens).

Photos: Fotolia - ehidna / Sergii Figurnyi