Christians in the western world are celebrating Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. Interestingly, for the last two weeks of this year’s Lenten season, my local catholic church has shrouded the statues and crosses throughout the church with purple veils. While I have been a catholic my whole life, this was a tradition that was new to me, so I thought I would explore the meaning behind it. There began my journey down the color-rabbit-hole of color and symbolism in religions. I will share only a short snapshot of it.

The custom of covering the statues and crucifix with these veils is optional to those churches following the Roman Missal (or those traditions post-Vatican II) but mandated to those following the traditional Latin Mass, so this is perhaps why I had not seen it before. I think our current pastor, Father T, likes to mix things up a little and spark our curiosity. The purple veils serve as a hint that all is not as it should be and they remain in place until after the Good Friday liturgy. They focus our attention and heighten our sense of anticipation for Jesus’ resurrection.

Digging deeper into why the veils are purple I discovered the meaning of the purple is that it is a reminder of penance and sacrifice during the Lenten season. It is also a traditional color for Advent, demonstrating the anticipation and reception of the coming king, Jesus Christ. Purple has historically been associated with nobility and power due to the expense of the purple dyes. During the Passion of Jesus, it is believed that he was dressed in purple robes belonging to Herod, the king. It was a mocking gesture but illustrates the association of purple and royalty.

Looking at purple in other religions; in Judaism purple stands for redemption through God, in Buddhism purple symbolizes mysticism, and Hindus associate purple with peace.* The purple lotus flower is called a mystic lotus – when pictured as a bud it represents the heart prior to enlightenment, and in full bloom it symbolizes the virtues of Buddha.

Inside my purple rabbit hole, I could take off in many directions learning about other symbols related to purple, the history of the color tied with the religious paintings in the Renaissance period, or even drift into the symbolism of the color purple in films and gaming. Did you know that it is the color of corruption in the gaming world?

See?? Color Rabbit Hole.

Each color family is a topic of fascination and several years ago I created a series of continuing education courses for one of my clients. The purple course was called No Shrinking Violets and is still available here if you are interested.

https://www.swceulearn.com/course/3604/color-design/aia-idcec/no-shrinking-violets

I would love to work on more color courses as I think color is an ever-evolving, complex and fun topic. Let’s chat if you think your company sees the possibilities that this could bring to either your customers, your designers or other internal associates and employees. Color is a powerful tool that can fuel your business.

*Article Sources:

https://classroom.synonym.com/catholic-meaning-contrition-5572.html

https://blog.ecclesiasticalsewing.com/2020/01/22/why-do-we-use-purple-during-lent/

Watch your step! Stumbling down the Purple Rabbit Hole.

Future Focus on Color

The World of Color