Colour is an important part of our world - our clothes, our homes, the world of nature about us. In the Bible, the rainbow with all its colours of the spectrum - red, orange, yellow, green,blue, violet - is regarded as the presence of God, speaking to people, through the world around us.
So we use different colours in our liturgy and worship, both to express our own enjoyment of colour, and also to acknowledge the presence of God - always surrounding us.
Red
expresses the blood of Martyrs, and also the tongues of flame at the Feast of Pentecost. So it is used on these dates, and also particularly during Holy Week.
White, Yellow, Orange or Gold
is a sign of great joy. So it is used on Festival Days such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Trinity Sunday, All Saints, and all celebratory occasions such as Ordination and Marriage.
Green
is used on ordinary days. It particularly represents the dominant colour of the natural world - grass, leaves - and suggests a God who is deeply present in the world of nature.
Purple
represents sorrow, and is used at the Penitential Seasons of Advent and Lent. It is also often used at Funerals, although it may then be replaced by BLACK
The Cope
is worn at weddings and major celebratory services such as the Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
