Liturgical Colors

From The Catholic Guide

Generally, in the Roman Rite reformed by Pope Paul VI, the following colours are used.^[1]

• Green, symbolizing life, growth and hope, is worn during Ordinary Time.
• Violet, informally called purple, symbolizing penance and expiation, is worn during the seasons of Advent and Lent, as well as on Holy Saturday. It or black is used on All Souls' Day and at other Masses for the Dead. It is also worn by the confessor during the Sacrement of Reconciliation.
• White symbolizing purity, holiness, joy, innocence and triumph, is worn during the Christmas and Easter seasons, Holy Thursday, on feasts of The Lord, on feasts of Our Lady, on feasts of the Angels, on the feast of John the Apostle and on feasts of other non-martyred saints, and at weddings.
• Red, symbolizing fire and blood, is worn at Pentecost (to remind the faithful of the tongues of fire which descended on the apostles), on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, on feasts of the Holy Cross, on feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists except for St. John, on the feasts of martyrs, and on feasts consecrated to the Holy Spirit.
• Rose, informally called pink, expressive of joy that half a penitential season is over, is authorised only on the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) as an alternative to violet. It is, however, not compulsory.
• Black, symbolizing mourning, though still included as one of the church's liturgical colours, has fallen out of fashion in some places. It may be worn instead of violet on All Souls Day and in Masses for the Dead.
• Vestments made from cloth of silver or cloth of gold may be used on days of special solemnity. Historically, silver was permitted as a substitute for white, and gold as a substitute for white, red, or green.

In addition to the general rules, there are some exceptions.

• White, in the United States, may be worn instead of violet or black at Funeral Masses expressing the hope of the Resurrection, especially in the funerals of children. This is also appropriate if white is traditionally the colour of mourning in a country, such as some Asian nations.
• Blue, a colour associated with the Virgin Mary, is allowed for the feast of the Immaculate Conception in some dioceses in Spain, Mexico and South America. In some places there is an unauthorized use of blue for all feasts of the Virgin Mary. In the Philippines because of the persistence of local priests in using this color, the Vatican has granted it special usage in all Marian feasts, replacing white. Blue has also become an unauthorized but common colour in some places for the season of Advent,^[2] and in this case symbolizes expectation and hope - the blue of a new dawning day.

• White or gold may be used from the 16th to the 24th December, when celebrating a traditional novena. This Spanish custom was abolished in the 1950s, but through an error, it was only abolished in Spain, and therefore remains licit and common in the Philippines. Further, if not enough vestments of the proper colour are available (particularly in concelebrations), white may always be substituted.

The Roman Rite promulgated by Pope St. Pius V, which is still used by some priests, varies from the above uses in some minor aspects. Violate is worn on days of fasting (such as Ember days and Rogation days), on the Sundays preceding Lent, and on vigils. Black is used on Good Friday and is the only colour proper at Masses for the Dead.

Source: [Wikipedia]