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On the ROCOR site archives, there is a photo of the late +Met. Laurus at Pascha wearing white vestments. I thought the Great Rissian Church wears red vestments for the Paschal season?

Ung

It is the practice of the Russian Church Abroad to wear white vestments for Pascha, the Paschal Season, Christmas through the Leavetaking of Theophany, and the Transfiguration. This is what is done in Jordanville (which preserves many customs of Carpatho-Rus) and in all our parishes.

It was very unusual for us to be asked to wear red vestments at the Bright Saturday celebration of unity at St Nicholas' Cathedral in New York City. It feels strange to us. Red Vestments are used for the lesser lenten periods. But when in Rome....

Fr David Straut

The tradition of red vestments at Pascha is a regional tradition of the churches in the Golden Circle around Moscow. In most other areas of Russia, white is the norm.

Alexandr

I've seen pictures of some OCA bishops (Dmitri of Dallas, Tikhon of Eastern Pennsylvania, etc.) using red for Pascha, while Metropolitan Herman wears white.

With the price of episcopal vestments being what they are, I would not be surprised to learn that some of the less prosperous diocese do not own all the colors, and the vladiki wear what they own!

The current practices of the OCA can probably be best construed as a memory of things Slavic, as opposed to actually representing the traditions of any particular Slavic people.

Alexandr

From the Russian Church's Nastol'naya Kniga Sviashchenno-sluzhitelia

The most important Feasts of the Orthodox Church and the sacred events for which specific colors of vestments have been established, can be united into six basic groups.

1. The group of Feasts and days commemorating Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prophets, the Apostles and the Holy Hierarchs. Vestment color: Gold (yellow) of all shades.

2. The group of Feasts and days commemorating the Most Holy Mother of God, the Bodiless Powers and Virgins. Vestment color: Light Blue and White.

3. The group of Feasts and days commemorating the Cross of Our Lord.Vestment color: Purple or Dark Red.

4. The group of Feasts and days commemorating Martyrs. Vestment color:Red. [On Great and Holy Thursday, Dark Red vestments are worn, even though the church is still covered with black and the Holy (Altar) Table is covered with a white cloth.]

5. The group of Feasts and days commemorating Monastic Saints, Ascetics and Fools for Christ. Vestment color: Green. The Entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), Holy Trinity Day(Pentecost) and Holy Spirit Day (Monday after Pentecost) are, as a rule,celebrated in Green vestments of all shades.

6. During the Lenten periods, the vestment colors are: Dark Blue, Purple, Dark Green, Dark Red and Black. This last color is used essentially for the days of Great Lent. During the first week of that Lent and on the weekdays of the following weeks, the vestment color is Black. On Sundays and Feast days of this period, the vestments are of a dark color with Gold or colored ornaments.

Funerals, as a rule, are done in White vestments.

In earlier times, there were no Black vestments in the Orthodox Church, although the everyday clothing of the clergy, especially the Monastics, was Black. In ancient times, both in the Greek and in the Russian Churches, the clergy wore, according to the Typicon, "Crimson Vestments": Dark (Blood) Red vestments. In Russia, it was first proposed to the clergy of Saint Petersburg to wear Black Vestments, if possible, to participate in the Funeral of Emperor Peter II [ 1821 ]. From that time on, Black Vestments became customary for Funerals and the Services of Great Lent.

White is worn for the feasts and post-feasts of Epiphany,Transfiguration, and Pascha. In antiquity, Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated as one feast, Theophany of the Lord, so, in some places, White is worn on Christmas day, but Gold is worn from the second day of Christmas until Epiphany.

In Russia, at Liturgy on Holy Thursday, a white altar cover is used to represent the linen tablecloth of the Last Supper [the priest wears dark red, and the church remains in black until after Liturgy, when the priest's vestments return to black]. The Church and the vestments of the priest are changed to white at the Prokeimenon of Holy Saturday Liturgy. In Muscovite custom, white is worn for Paschal Matins, bright red is worn at Pascha Liturgy. In some places white is worn from Ascension to Pentecost. In Carpatho-Russian style, white, exclusively, is worn in the Paschal season.White, the color of Resurrection, is worn at funerals and memorial services.

Green is worn for Pentecost and its post-feast, feasts of prophets, and angels. In some places, green is worn for the Elevation of the Cross in September. In Carpatho-Russian practice, green is worn from Pentecost until Saints Peter and Paul Lent. Green is often worn for Palm Sunday.

Gold is worn from Christmas to Epiphany, and in some places, during Advent. Gold is worn when no other color is specified. In one tradition, gold is worn on all Sundays (except when white is worn), including even the Sundays in all the fasting periods.

Red is worn for SS Peter and Paul lent, SS Peter and Paul feast, for Advent, for the Angels, Elevation of the Cross (Sept 15), and for feasts of Martyrs. In Moscow style, and on Mount Athos and at Jerusalem, bright red is worn on Pascha [after Matins] and on the Nativity.

Blue is worn for all feasts of the Virgin, Presentation of the Lord, Annunciation, and sometimes on the fifth Friday of Lent (Akathist). In Carpatho-Russian parishes, blue is worn for Dormition fast and feast, and is worn until Cross Elevation, sometimes even until Advent.

Purple is worn on weekends of Lent (black is worn weekdays). In some places, purple is worn on weekdays of Lent (gold on weekends).

Black is worn for weekdays in Lent, especially the first week of Lent and in Holy Week. In Carpatho-Russian, formerly Uniat parishes, black is worn on weekdays for funerals and memorial services and liturgies, as is done in the Roman Church, though this is not universally true any more.

Orange or rust is worn in some places for SS Peter and Paul fast, and in other places for SS Peter and Paul feast through Transfiguration.

Please note that when we say 'feast', we include the period from the vigil of the feast until it's apodosis, or 'putting away,' usually called the 'post-feast'. The length of these post-feasts vary, and are given in the Liturgical Calendar and Rubrics. Generally speaking, there is a post- feast of about a week for each of the twelve major feasts. As you can see, there is great variety in ways of doing things.

In the Western Church, six colors are used: white, red, rose, green, purple and black. Blue and gold are not used. Black is worn on Good Friday, and at requiem Masses.

Nastol'naya Kniga Sviashchenno-sluzhitelia, Volume 4, Moscow,1983


Alexandr

Blue is used in Spain and in former Spanish colonies as a substitute for white during Marian Feasts.

Rose is not obligatory, but merely optional, for the two days of the year when it can be worn (3rd Sunday of Advent and 4th Sunday of Lent).

As for black, under the 1970 Missal it is optional for November 2 and for funerals and Masses for the dead. In practice, white or violet / purple are most frequently used for Requiems. Of course, blck remains standard for funerals and Masses for the dead according to the 1962 Missal. For the funerals of priests and bishops, red is used.

Gold may be used fairly frequently. In theory it may substitute for green, red and white. In practice, gold is used as a substitute for white vestments especially on the greatest feastdays, and only rarely as substitute for green and red.

Ok, back to the topic!

X. B! (Christ is risen!)
C. I. X! (Glory to Jesus Christ)

Any more information how blue became custom for feasts of the Mother of God? I assumed it was a Latinization. Your history of the use of black was most informative. As you deviated from Rus' Major usage do not the Greeks use Red on Pentecost or is that local? Has it not become customary in Kyivan circles to revert to crimson for requiems and when in doubt or in conflict with the calendar observance for public gatherings to use white on Sundays for the resurrection?

What a fascinating topic - thank you Alexandr for all that information.

A bit more on Western Liturgical colours as used in the UK for those who are interested.

I have never heard of or seen Black used at a Funeral Mass - white is now used . Indeed I did hear of one young priest who bought a set of black ones when he was ordained and his fellow Seminarians then were incredulous - that was some 6 years ago and they have not yet been used.

Gold being a noble colour can be used at any time outwith Penitential periods and times when other colours ie red, are prescribed/mandated.Gold is frequently used in Concelebration Masses where the Principal Celebrant will be vested in Gold and everyone else in white .

Blue - I think most parishes will have a set of Blue vestments , though it's usually White with blue rather than solid blue .

I personally have never seen rose being used .

I don't see how blue could be a Latinization. The color of Marian feasts in the West is white. Blue is used only in Spain and Latin America (and occasionally in the Philippines), and even there it isn't always used.

The use of black in the Russian Church is a clear case of Latinization, though.

If you want to see black or rose in use, go to Tridentine Mass celebrations, or to the (even more rare) "Reform of the Reform" parishes that seek to celebrate the Novus Ordo in the most traditional manner possible.

As for blue vestments, there seems to be a growing practice of using blue for Advent. This, however, is forbidden.

I'm sorry, but what is the "Golden Circle"?

A correction is in order. I did more research and found out that blue vestments are allowed in Spain and Latin America only ONCE a year -- on December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Only the Philippines has a custom permitting blue to be worn at ALL Marian feasts -- and from personal experience, I know that this privilege is rarely used.

Before the whole family started coming to the BC Church with me, the twins (then third grade) came with me one Sunday.

A couple of days later, Sister discussed vestment colors. One of mine offered,

"The priest was wearing blue last Sunday at my daddy's church."
"No, I don't think so. We don't use blue."
"My daddy goes to a Byzantine Catholic Church."
"We don't want to talk about that right now."



I wasn't sure whether to be more impressed with a nine year old using "Byzantine" or the fact that she'd paid enough attention to remember the colors a couple of days later . . .

hawk

I've been recently wondering how this came to be, given that her color is generally blue . . .

hawk