Lessons; symbolism

Symbolism of colors, Christian

The symbolic meaning of color depends on time, country, culture, traditions and local circumstances. In the Missale Romanum (1570) colors were given a specific meaning, making it easier to recognize characters as Mary and Jesus, and to express emotions like love, suffering, holiness. Color was very helpful in understanding the scenes on mosaics, wall paintings, paintings, statues, icons and stained glass windows. The intensity of color is important; brilliant colors are positive, dull colors are negative. Note: the general symbolic meaning is in brackets ().

Beige; (sand, neutral).
Black; darkness, deepest mourning, deviation, sin.
Blue; deity, eternity, innocence: color of heaven, loyalty, Mary's color (melancholy, sincerity).
Brown; poverty, humility, earth (soundness, dull).
Gold; deity, wealth, (power).
Green; hope, growth, life, future.
Grey; world renunciation (neutral, security, wisdom, luxury, age).
Copper; (unshakable ness, 12.5 years anniversary).
Magenta; (cheerful, exiting, shocking).
Orange; (warmth, wealth, eroticism).
Pink; light breaking through, liturgical color on the third Sunday of Advent (Caudate) and the fourth Sunday of Lent, (Laetare) (soft tender love, happiness).
Purple; mourning, penance, fasting, submission.
Platinum; (70 years anniversary).
Purple; authority, royalty (sensuality, decadence).
Red; love, suffering, sacrifice (struggle, love, joy, passion, courage).
Silver; purity: silver can replace white (trust, 25 years anniversary).
White; joy, feast, truth, purity, liturgical color for the feasts of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and the Easter period, used at baptisms, weddings and sometimes funerals. (joy, tenderness, love).
Yellow; light, lustre, glory, color of the sun, envy, treason (Easter, spring).

The colors listed below are generally used in Roman Catholic churches and are recommended for Protestant churches. The churches of the East do not apply these colors. They use mainly white for festive days.

The following colors are generally used for special festive days:

Symbols for anniversaries
The celebration of an anniversary or a wedding, a job and so on is symbolized by a metal; copper = 12.5 years, silver = 25 years, gold = 50 years, platinum = 70 years.

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Last update of this page 23.05.2004