Feeling Blue this Advent?

Blue or purple for your advent?

One the eve of the second Sunday of Advent, I thought it a good time to consider the two colors of Advent. There’s a third traditional color of Advent. Since it doesn’t appear until the Third Sunday of Advent, we’ll wait until then to consider it.

A “cradle” and then adult practicing Roman Catholic, I took for granted that Lent and Advent were seasons when the liturgical color changed from the green of Ordinary Time (most of the liturgical year) to a more muted, somber color - purple.

When I ask Copilot (my go-to AI search source) “Why is purple the color of Advent?” it tells me:

Purple is the color of Advent because it symbolizes penance, preparation, and sacrifice. During Advent, Christians prepare their hearts and minds for the coming of Christ at Christmas. The color purple is also associated with royalty, reflecting the anticipation of the coming of the King, Jesus Christ.

Out of curiosity, I also asked it “Why is purple the color of Lent?” Its answer for Lent has much overlap with the one for Advent:

Penitence and Reflection: Purple symbolizes penance, humility, and sorrow for sin. Lent is a time for Christians to reflect on their lives, seek forgiveness, and prepare spiritually for Easter.

Royalty and Suffering: Purple is also associated with royalty and the suffering of Christ. During Lent, Christians remember the passion and crucifixion of Jesus, who is often referred to as the King of Kings. The color purple reflects both His royal status and the suffering He endured.

The commonality in the symbolism of purple for both seasons is penance, royalty and preparation. Lent’s symbolic theme adds suffering as the journey of this spring-time (in the Northern Hemisphere) liturgical season ends in the cross and the tomb.

So, the purple for Advent, in most Roman Catholic churches emphasizes penance and royalty as it makes a clear thematic connection to Lent. And I imagine many Catholic parishes use the same set of altar cloths, vestments, and other items for both Advent and Lent.

Most liturgical Protestant churches these days use purple for Lent, but instead use a distinctive shade of blue for Advent.

Back to Copilot with this question: “Why is blue the color of Advent” and this succinct answer:

Blue is seen as a color of anticipation and waiting, reflecting the hopeful longing for the coming of Christ.

Quite a different slant to Advent when blue is the symbolic color. The preparation aspect is present - with anticipation and especially hope - as the emphasis.

I’m a big fan of blue. There’s such a range of shades which capture a variety of emotions, vibes and symbolic meanings.

Again, we turn to Copilot for precision here and to learn that shade of blue most used for Advent is called “Sarum” blue or “Royal” blue with the hex code of #555BC4. The link it gives opens to a palate of complementary colors to pair with “Sarum” (related to Salisbury Cathedral and liturgical practices developed in the Middle Ages) blue (here called “Iris” blue.)

I heard a wise person recently observe that this “Sarum” blue is reminiscent of the color the heavens show during dawn in the moments before the sunrises. For me, when I’m up and able to see this time of day, I cannot help but feel a hopeful anticipation for the day ahead.

Back to Copilot one more time. I asked it to create art showing dawn and using the “Sarum” blue hex code. I gave it four tries and this is my favorite of what it produced:

Regardless of whether you’re team purple or team blue for Advent, I hope you find ways to bring these colors into your life this season. And perhaps keep the red and green colors in the background until they burst forth when the Christmas season begins on the night of December 24th!

As we think about the dawn’s light of the day and how we are in the season where we are losing daylight as we approach the solstice, the “Fruits Incarnate” individual for today (from Everything Could Be a Prayer) is Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette (who died in 2023.) Known for careful growing of plants in synchronicity with the seasons, he gained international fame for his best selling cookbooks and spiritual guidebooks.

For a heart-warming quick read about the connection between cultivating seasonal plants and connecting a community, read “How a Solitary Monk, Known for His Soups, United a Community” (Washington Post gift article)

And our Advent themed song today is the Playing for Change version of a truly great tune (with a cameo by a truly great guitarist.)