Collective Worship
The Colours of the Church YearThe Anglican Church Year
Anglican churches follow a liturgical calendar. This is a pattern for their worship (liturgy) through the year.
As a church school, this provides an ideal opportunity to mirror what is happening in our parish and local church. It also provides a colourful and visual way to mark the festivals throughout the year. Most churches will use different coloured vestments (a priest’s clothing) and altar cloths as signs of the season of the church year.
In school this can mirrored through simply changing the colour of cloth on the worship table. Soon you will find that the children recognise the colours and their meaning, that when they enter the worship space they will notice the colours have changed and begin to make links between the seasons and the festivals throughout the year.
The meaning of the colours:
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Green |
Used during ‘Ordinary time’ between the main festivals and seasons. This covers most of the year and can represent growth. |
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Red |
Used to either mark saints’ days where it represents their death as a martyr, or to represent the flames of the Holy Spirit (for Pentecost/Whitsun). |
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White |
Represents being pure, in celebrations such as baptisms, weddings, and some funerals. Also used for celebrations either on its own or with gold. It is also used for saints who did not die as martyrs. |
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Gold |
Key celebrations, for example Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. |
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Purple |
Used for times of preparation and waiting, the reflective seasons. Key times are Advent and Lent. |