December is a month when shop windows begin to be painted red, the streets are illuminated with golden and silver lights, and through the windows of houses, green fir trees decorated with ornaments can be seen. Red, gold, and green seem to be the colors of Christmas.
In the Church, however, it is another color that signals the arrival of these important holidays. A keen observer will have noticed that after the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, some things have changed on the altar: the lectern cover is purple, the priest wears purple vestments, and often a wreath with four purple candles is placed near the altar.
Pure silk damask chasuble with purple pure silk cassock and hand embroidery in half fine silver made by Arte Ricami. Discover some of the chasubles in our collection.
Why is the colour purple used in Advent and why does the Church provide for different colours throughout the liturgical year?
As explained by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, liturgical colors—white, green, red, and purple—serve to mark the liturgical year and express the particular characteristic of the mysteries being celebrated. Pope Innocent III, while still a cardinal, was one of the first to write a treatise on the Mass, De Sacrosantis Altaris Mysterio, in 1195.
Until that time, Roman practices were considered distant norms of reference, but Pope Innocent III’s treatises were the first to be established as rules to be strictly adhered to. Among these, the chapter dedicated to colors became not only a starting point for reflection for the liturgists of the 13th century but also a standard in many dioceses, even those far from Rome.
The Roman Missal of 1570 and the Council of Trent made Roman customs mandatory, defining once and for all the liturgical colors to be used throughout the year, with reference also to the instructions of Pope Innocent III. This document mentions purple as the color to be used during Advent and Lent, clearly distinguishing it from black, which had been considered an equivalent color up until that time.
In the new Roman Missal following the Second Vatican Council, the traditional liturgical colors were reaffirmed and confirmed. Purple is therefore reconfirmed as the color for Advent and Lent. It was also added that it can be used for Offices and Masses for the deceased.
Purple silk satin can be used to make chasubles and dalmatics. Request your customised order
What is the significance of purple and why has it been associated with Advent and Lent over the centuries?
In describing the meaning of a color, one must consider not only the sensations and emotions it evokes but also the traditions of the past, which have consequently shaped our perception of the color purple.
Purple is a color that inspires a connection with the divine, and this is due to the fact that purple is much rarer in nature compared to other colors. Popular tradition has thus always linked purple to mystery, transcendence, spirituality, and magic. Even today, in color therapy, purple is associated with meditation. This also comes from its composition: red and blue. Red symbolizes strength, vitality, courage, and dynamism; blue symbolizes meditation, calmness, purification, and tenderness. The combination of these two colors is symbolically seen as the union between the human and the divine.
In ancient times, purple was a color associated with wealth and prestige. To produce the strongest shades, a marine shell similar to that of a snail was used. By mixing minerals with the secretion of the purple snail, shades of color ranging from black to red, purple, and even green were obtained. The darker the garment, the more purple was used, and thus the greater the prestige of the fabric. All colored fabrics were status symbols of wealth, but purple in particular was worn by princes and kings because of the labor-intensive process involved in its creation.
Ball made by intaglio on linen. Available in the four liturgical colours. See some of the other balls in our collection.
It is interesting to note how a color that in the past was associated with the power and wealth of kings has, over the centuries, increasingly become linked to penance, conversion, and atonement. This is partly because the Gospels tell us that the soldiers of Pontius Pilate dressed Jesus in a purple cloak after he was scourged, mocking him in front of everyone by calling him the King of the Jews. For Christians, the purple of that cloak evokes the pain and suffering that preceded Jesus’ ascent to Calvary and his death on the cross. It also partly stems from the fact that, as already mentioned, purple in religious contexts was considered almost a variant of black. Since black has always been associated with mourning and penance, purple was automatically imbued with this meaning as well.
Even the bishop William Durand, in his famous treatise on the symbolic meanings of ecclesiastical architectural elements and liturgical celebrations, Rationale divinorum officiorum, describes purple as “pallidus et quasi lividus,” a description that brings to mind something painful or someone who is unwell.
Purple girdle with purple fringe and gold trim. Available in the four liturgical colours from Arte Ricami. Discover more cords.
Purple is therefore a color traditionally associated with two significant periods in the Christian tradition: Advent and Lent. Both are times of preparation in which one is called to meditate on oneself, to question oneself, and to embark on a path of conversion and penance.
However, while the connection between penance and Lent may seem more immediate, why associate the color purple, which recalls atonement and conversion, with a period like Advent, a time of waiting for the Savior?
Even though in a different way, Advent is also a time that requires preparation and a journey of conversion. When waiting for an important guest, one prepares the house, cleans, and discards what is unnecessary. We are asked to stay vigilant and be ready, and for this, we are called to rid ourselves of everything that is not needed. And purple is there to remind us of this.
Arte Ricami offers a wide range of purple fabrics to create chasubles, stoles, copes, and stoleh. Contact us to visit our showroom or to request the name of the nearest retailer where you can admire our products.
We wish you a Happy Advent
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