A Guide to Liturgical Colors (with HEX Codes)

Color Glorifies God

God created the world in vibrant color. Color glorifies God. Throughout the Bible, God uses color for beauty and to teach his people, especially in the context of sacred worship. For example, God instructed Israel to use purple in the tabernacle curtains and veil, and in the priestly garments. Throughout Christian history, the Church has followed God’s example by strategically using color in its worship.

Six Key Colors

• Purple/violet — the color of royalty and penitence; used during Advent to signify the coming of the Davidic King; used during Lent to signify penitence and because of its association with Christ’s suffering (Mark 15:17)
• White — the color of purity, radiance, and resurrection; used during Christmas to point to Christ as the spotless sacrificial Lamb and incarnate Son of God; used during Easter to point to the perfection and radiance of the risen Lord (Revelation 1:14); also used on feasts of Christ such as the Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, the Transfiguration, and Christ the King Day; also used on All Saints’ Day and the feasts days of saints who were not martyrs
• Gold — the color of glory; sometimes used with or instead of white (e.g., liturgical decorations for Christmas are usually gold and white); note: the Holy Joys logo and color scheme is liturgical gold
• Red — the color of fire and blood; used on Pentecost as a sign of the Spirit’s fiery descent (Acts 2:3); often used during Holy Week as a sign of Christ’s passion; also used on the saint days of martyrs of the church
• Green — the color of life and growth; used during the seasons of ordinary time after Epiphany and Pentecost to signify the life and growth that comes in the Church as a result of Christ’s coming and the Spirit’s descent
• Pink/rose — the color of joy; used on the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) and the fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) to mark a transition towards joy

See “Colors” on the Revised Common Lectionary website for a comparison of how various traditions use color in their liturgical life.

See also liturgical-calendar.com for a color-coded calendar of every day of the Christian year according to several major lectionaries.

Where It’s Used

These colors show up in various places in the Church’s life. For example:

• The garments worn by ministers, baptismal candidates, and sometimes even the whole congregation (e.g., on Pentecost when many wear red)
• Overlays on the communion table, pulpit, and lectern
• Wall banners
• Candle colors (e.g., purple/pink/white candles of Advent; the white paschal candle)
• Stained glass windows, mosaics, icons, etc.

HEX Color Codes

The follow HEX color codes can be used for liturgical purple, gold, red, and green:

• Purple/violet: Hex #7D287D; RGB 125, 40, 125
• Pink/rose: Hex #186420; RGB 24, 100, 32
• Gold: Hex #D4AF37; RGB 212, 175, 55
• Red: Hex #C62D25; RGB 198, 45, 37
• Green: Hex #186420; RGB 24, 100, 32