If you are new to the Episcopal Church, and even if you are not, the changing colors of the robes the clergy wear, the names and reasons for the changing seasons can be quite mysterious. Especially confusing is the way the seasons move around the calendar seemingly at random from year to year. Well, here are some answers!
The Church year is divided up into seasons and each season has its own meaning and focus. The seasons also dictate the colors used to decorate the church and the vestments (clothes) worn by the clergy. The church year begins with Advent in November or December. Advent, of course, is the period leading up to Christmas.
The seasons in order are:
- Advent
- Christmas
- Epiphany
- Ordinary Time (after Epiphany)
- Lent
- Easter
- Pentecost
- Ordinary Time (after Pentecost)
Click on the above links to find out more about that specific season.
Advent
| Theme | The beginning of the Liturgical year. Anticipating and preparing for the coming of the Lord |
| Color | Blue or Purple. Blue, the color of the Blessed Virgin. Purple, the color of royalty, humility, penance, and wisdom that comes from inward discernment. Rose (pink). The third Sunday in Advent is Rose Sunday. Rose is the color of joy. |
| Dates | Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This means it will be sometime in either the last week of November or the first week of December. |
Christmas
| Theme | Celebrating the birth of Jesus – the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ |
| Color | White. White is the color of celebration, joy, and peace in the western world. With the color gold, white symbolizes the greatest work of God in the world. |
| Dates | Christmas commences at sundown on December 24 and ends at sundown on January 5. |
The Feast of the Epiphany
| Theme | Jesus manifests Himself as God. |
| Color | White. White is the color of celebration, joy, and peace in the western world. With the color gold, white symbolizes the greatest work of God in the world. |
| Date | January 6. |
Ordinary Time (after Epiphany)
| Theme | Our day-to-day living out of our lives following Christ’s message. |
| Color | Green. Green is the color of Relevatory experience. |
| Dates | January 7 until the beginning of Lent |
Lent
| Theme | Retreating Into the Wilderness with Jesus. A period of restraint, contemplation, learning and prayer. |
| Color | Purple. Purple is the color of humility, penance, and wisdom that comes from inward discernment. It is also the color of royalty. |
| Dates | Lent is the forty-day period before Easter. It actually lasts longer than forty days because Sundays, being the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, are not counted. The start of Lent is dependent upon the date of Easter Sunday. |
Holy Week
| Theme | Starting with Palm Sunday, the final days leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross. |
| Color | Red. |
| Dates | Holy week starts on Palm Sunday and ends at sundown on Holy Saturday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. |
Easter
| Theme | Celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord. This is a common time to hold baptisms, confirmations, and ordinations. |
| Color | White or Gold. White is the color of celebration, joy, and peace in the western world. With the color gold, white symbolizes the greatest work of God in the world. |
| Dates | The Easter Season begins on Easter Sunday and lasts 50 days (the Great fifty days) until Pentecost. Easter is defined as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox (March 21). |
Pentecost
| Theme | The birthday of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| Color | Red. Red is the color of excitement, energy, power, and all things intense and passionate. As such, red is the color of the Holy Spirit. |
| Date | The fiftieth day after Easter |
Ordinary Time (after Pentecost)
| Theme | Our day-to-day living out of our lives following Christ’s message. |
| Color | Green. Green is the color of Relevatory experience. |
| Dates | The day after Pentecost to the day before Advent. |
Special Days
Ash Wednesday
The first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the congregation in the form of a cross. It marks the celebration and acts as a reminder of human mortality. It is also seen as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
The Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Maundy Thursday
The Thursday before Easter. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. At many churches, following the example set by Christ at the Last Supper, the clergy bathe the feet of the congregation.
Good Friday
The Friday before Easter. Good Friday Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.
Holy Saturday
The Saturday before Easter. Holy Saturday commemorates the day that Jesus Christ’s body lay in the tomb, finishing with the Easter Vigil, the first (and arguably, the primary) celebration of Easter in The Book of Common Prayer (pp. 284-95). It is also known as the Great Vigil. The service begins in darkness, sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter, and consists of four parts: The Service of Light (kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, the Exsultet); The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers); Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and the Eucharist.
Note
You are probably wondering why Easter Sunday is not listed above. It’s because every Sunday is the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. Though, it must be admitted, we do make an extra effort to dress up the Church and ourselves for Easter Sunday.
