These are the colors of the Liturgical Year. In the Catholic Church, each season has a color and each color has a meaning. Here is the guide to the colors of the Liturgical Year and what they mean.
Liturgical Color Guide: Understanding the Liturgical Seasons and Colors Liturgy is a form of public religious worship within the different denominations of Christianity. During this public worship, colors are worn to signify different feelings and times of year. How to choose the right colors? Choosing the right colors should be based on the church's liturgical calendar, and the colors they.
b) The color red is used on Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion and on Friday of Holy Week (Good Friday), on Pentecost Sunday, on celebrations of the Lord's Passion, on the "birthday" feast days of Apostles and Evangelists, and on celebrations of Martyr Saints. c) The color green is used in the Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time. Understanding the Liturgical Colors In the liturgical calendar, the color for each day corresponds to that day's main liturgical celebration, even though Optional Memorials (perhaps with a different color) might be chosen instead.
The four main colors shown are. The church becomes as empty as a tomb. On Good Friday, either Black or Red is customary.
In most traditions, the sanctuary cross is draped in color only during Lent (purple), Good Friday (black), and Easter (white). Some churches leave white on the cross through Eastertide, drape the cross in red for Pentecost Sunday, and then leave the cross undraped until the beginning of Lent the next year. During Good Friday, or even as soon as Maundy Thursday, a switch is made to black, or rarely no color.
This change can be made in connection with a Good Friday service to mark the death of Christ. On the evening of Holy Saturday (Easter vigil), or certainly come Easter Sunday, white or gold are used to celebrate the resurrection. Black is predominantly utilized to signify mourning.
On Good Friday, black is often incorporated in church decorations, banners, and even vestments, signifying the absence of light and joy in remembrance of Christ's death. This color starkly contrasts with Easter's lively colors, enhancing the emotional weight of the observance. Following that color chart, our church body calls for the use of black vestments and hangings on two occasions during the church year.
The first is Ash Wednesday, and the second is Good Friday. Following Ash Wednesday, we switch to purple until Palm Sunday, at which time we switch to a deep red which remains through Maundy Thursday. Good Friday is a day of mourning and repentance in the Christian faith, and it is the day that commemorates the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
As such, it is generally considered appropriate to wear somber or modest colors on Good Friday. Black is a traditional color to wear on Good Friday, as it symbolizes mourning and sorrow.