Church Color Advent

Discover the significance of the liturgical color for Advent and its special themes. Learn about the traditions and meanings behind this sacred season. Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in Western tradition.

It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30 th, and ends on Christmas Eve, December 24 th. In the chart above, with the exception of Advent, more traditional colors are in the left column and alternate colors in the right column. Some Protestant church traditions use only traditional colors, including purple for Advent, while others are more free to use alternate colors within the basic sequence.

The three Advent candle colors, purple, pink, and white, have deep spiritual symbolism and are representative of the faithful anticipation that believers partake to ready their hearts and minds for the birth or second coming of Jesus Christ. The meaning of the season of Advent is to ready one's heart for the arrival of Christ at Christmas. The Church continues to use violet as a primary color during Advent, even though the modern culture has its own set of colors for the month of December.

Moreover, during Advent, we meditate particularly on the coming of our King at Christmas. In this way, the color violet-traditionally associated with royalty-takes on a dual meaning, representing both the penitential nature of the season and the kingship of the coming Christ. The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete ("Rejoice") Sunday.

Advent, from the Latin word adventus, which means "coming," is considered to be the beginning of the Church Year. A new season of the church brings with it a change of liturgical color. The long green season after Pentecost gives way to either purple for repentance, introspection, and renewal, or blue for The Virgin Mary, hope, and.

Learn about the traditional Advent colors: purple for penance, pink for joy, and white for Christ's birth celebration. Modern-day Advent candle colors usually include three purple candles symbolizing hope, faith, and peace, one pink candle for joy, and a central white candle, known as the Christ candle, which is lit on Christmas Eve to celebrate the arrival of Jesus. A chart with a brief explanation of the symbolism of the various colors used in Christian liturgical worship.