Eastern Catholic Episcopal Vestments

[Spirithound]

In a previous thread, I learned that there are not any set liturgical colours in the Byzantine Rite, for certain seasons or feasts as there are in the Latin Rite.

http://www.byzantines.net/moreinfo/bishop_george.jpg

I found a pic of a Greek Catholic (Byzantine Rite) bishop in green vestments, and here in that previous thread you can see pictures of Eastern Catholic bishops in gold vestments. Are there other common liturgical colours? Any “conventions” I guess, to help decide which ones to wear?

Thanks all!

 

[belgianwaffles9]

To the best of my knoweldge, no. I asked an Eastern Orthodox priest (of the Church of Constantinople) about this one time and he said they could wear pretty much whatever color.

What i have picked up from reading is that most Byzantine priests have a “light” vestment set and a “dark” vestment set. Keep in mind how expensive vestments are, so for a priest or church to own two full sets of Eastern Vestments is a hefty financial investment.

I encourage you to check out Istok Church Supplies, which sells Byzantine vestments. Check out the different colors and patterns, and the differences between Greek and Russain styles. Its pretty interesting what they come up with without the Latin restrictions.

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EDIT: I checked wikipedia, which has this to say (i’m trying to find some sources to confirm this):

The Byzantine Rite, which is used by all the member churches of the Eastern Orthodox Church and by the Greek-Catholic Churches (Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine Rite), does not have a universal system of colours, with the service-books of the Byzantine tradition only specifying “light” or “dark” vestments in the service books. In the Greek tradition, maroon or burgundy are common for solemn feast days, and a wide variety of colours are used at other times, the most common of which are gold and white.

Slavic-use churches and others influenced by Western traditions have adopted a cycle of liturgical colours. The particulars may change from place to place, but generally:

• White is used for Pascha (Easter—in some areas bright red is used for Pascha), Nativity, Theophany, and other Great Feasts of the Lord
• Purple (or red) for Saturdays and Sundays during Great Lent
• Black for weekdays in Great Lent, and during Holy Week (except Holy Thursday)
• Green for Palm Sunday, Pentecost, (feasts of the Holy Cross in some places) and “venerable” (monastic) saints
• Blue for feasts of the Theotokos
• Red for Holy Thursday, feasts of the Holy Cross , John the Baptist, martyrs, and for every day of the Nativity Fast, Apostles’ Fast and Dormition Fast (except during one of the Great Feasts of the Lord or Theotokos)
• Gold is used as the default, when no other colour is called for. Churches dedicated to the Theotokos may use blue as a default.
• The colours would be changed before Vespers on the eve of the day being commemorated. During Great Feasts, the colour is changed before the vespers service that begins the first day of a forefeast, and remains until the apodosis (final day of the afterfeast).

Under Western influence, black is often used for funerals, weekdays in Great Lent and Holy Week in the Slavic churches, as a sign of penance and mourning, but in the second half of the 20th century, the ancient white became more common, as a sign of the hope of the Resurrection.

This set of general customs, but no set law of liturgical colors, is in keeping with how things are usually done in the East: very few set rules, but customs and traditions are treated as if they were (Hopefully that rubs off a bit on us Latins…)

So you see there are some similarities, such as White for Easter, purple at times during lent, red for martyrs, blue for Marian feasts (although only some Catholic countries are allowed to do this, such as Germany and i believe spain). And some differences, such as their use of green.

And, to asnwer your question in the last thread about gold, I guess the Byzantine rite doesnt have a special colour for when the Pope gives you a pallium, so he wore gold.

I’d kinda like to see Rose eastern vestments. Seems only us Latins use that one…

 

[Patchunky]

To the best of my knoweldge, no. I asked an Eastern Orthodox priest (of the Church of Constantinople) about this one time and he said they could wear pretty much whatever color.

What i have picked up from reading is that most Byzantine priests have a “light” vestment set and a “dark” vestment set. Keep in mind how expensive vestments are, so for a priest or church to own two full sets of Eastern Vestments is a hefty financial investment.

I encourage you to check out Istok Church Supplies, which sells Byzantine vestments. Check out the different colors and patterns, and the differences between Greek and Russain styles. Its pretty interesting what they come up with without the Latin restrictions.

---

EDIT: I checked wikipedia, which has this to say (i’m trying to find some sources to confirm this):

Don’t count on WIKIPEDIA for too much of anything.

In the Byzantine Ruthenian Rite, white vestments are used on Sundays for Divine Liturgy unless the church is named for the Mother of God, then you may also see blue vestments.

Gold is used for Christmas and Paska.

Red is used for the Feasts of the Holy Cross.

Blue is used for Feasts of the Mother of God

Green is used for Pentecost.

Black is used on Great and Holy Friday and for Great Saturday.

Maroon or dark red is used for funeruals and for Presanctified Liturgies during Great Lent.

Purple is no long permitted to be used as a Liturgical color.

Hope this helps…

This set of general customs, but no set law of liturgical colors, is in keeping with how things are usually done in the East: very few set rules, but customs and traditions are treated as if they were (Hopefully that rubs off a bit on us Latins…)

So you see there are some similarities, such as White for Easter, purple at times during lent, red for martyrs, blue for Marian feasts (although only some Catholic countries are allowed to do this, such as Germany and i believe spain). And some differences, such as their use of green.

And, to asnwer your question in the last thread about gold, I guess the Byzantine rite doesnt have a special colour for when the Pope gives you a pallium, so he wore gold.

I’d kinda like to see Rose eastern vestments. Seems only us Latins use that one…

 

[josephdaniel29]

To the best of my knoweldge, no. I asked an Eastern Orthodox priest (of the Church of Constantinople) about this one time and he said they could wear pretty much whatever color.

What i have picked up from reading is that most Byzantine priests have a “light” vestment set and a “dark” vestment set. Keep in mind how expensive vestments are, so for a priest or church to own two full sets of Eastern Vestments is a hefty financial investment.

I encourage you to check out Istok Church Supplies, which sells Byzantine vestments. Check out the different colors and patterns, and the differences between Greek and Russain styles. Its pretty interesting what they come up with without the Latin restrictions.

---

EDIT: I checked wikipedia, which has this to say (i’m trying to find some sources to confirm this):

This set of general customs, but no set law of liturgical colors, is in keeping with how things are usually done in the East: very few set rules, but customs and traditions are treated as if they were (Hopefully that rubs off a bit on us Latins…)

So you see there are some similarities, such as White for Easter, purple at times during lent, red for martyrs, blue for Marian feasts (although only some Catholic countries are allowed to do this, such as Germany and i believe spain). And some differences, such as their use of green.

And, to asnwer your question in the last thread about gold, I guess the Byzantine rite doesnt have a special colour for when the Pope gives you a pallium, so he wore gold.

I’d kinda like to see Rose eastern vestments. Seems only us Latins use that one…

You’re right. In Slavic practice there is a small “t” tradition of wearing certain colors for certain feast although the typicon usually only specifies light or dark and those colors may very somewhat from place to place.

Yours in Christ
Joe