Purple – The Color of Lent

We all enjoy decorating our homes for each season, from orange pumpkins and wreaths of red and yellow in the fall to purple irises and pink and white tulips in our spring gardens. Each season has its own characteristic colors which instantly speak to us of that time of year.

The Church also uses various colors as a way the faithful can connect visually to a certain season, mystery, or sacrament. The colors are not randomly selected, but each has a special meaning and are meant to connect us to the deeper meaning of the season or event.

The liturgical season of Lent is characterized by the color purple. It has become a custom during Lent for priests of the Roman rite to wear vestments that are purple in color and to cover the altar with a purple cloth. On Good Friday, the cross is veiled in purple.

This color is rich in symbolism, both in the Bible and in the Church. However, we often don’t realize its significance and the reason why it plays such a central role at this time of year.

Purple in Biblical Times

In ancient times, purple was considered a royal color, often associated with the clothing of kings and queens, as well as with those worn by priests and nobility. The dye used to color clothing purple was extracted from a rare shellfish and was expensive to produce. It was only available in a limited area, mainly on the Mediterranean coast of modern-day Lebanon and Syria. Only a small amount of dye could be extracted from each shell, making it extremely valuable, oftentimes costing more than gold.

One of the most important centers of purple dye was Tyre (present-day Lebanon), which produced Tyrian purple, a deep purple-red dye whose color and sheen did not easily fade, but would become brighter when exposed to sunlight. It was also known as royal purple or sea purple and is the color we find in the Bible.

Purple in the Old Testament

Royal purple is found throughout the Bible and was one of the colors used for worship in the Old Testament. It appears numerous times in the book of Exodus when describing the Tabernacle. Moses was instructed that the Tabernacle should be made out of “ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and blue, purple, and crimson yarns” (Exodus 26:1). A purple cloth was spread over the altar after being cleaned of ashes (Numbers 4:13), and King Solomon gave instructions to adorn the Jerusalem Temple with purple fabrics (2 Chronicles 3:14). It is one of the distinguished colors that were traditionally used for priestly vestments, along with blue and scarlet.

In the book of Judges, purple symbolizes royalty, with the clothing worn by kings being purple in color (Judges 8:26). In Daniel, King Belshazzar declares that whoever is able to interpret the strange writing on the wall would be awarded with purple clothing, a gold chain and be third in governing his kingdom (Daniel 5:7). Both King David and King Solomon wore clothing dyed with royal purple.

Purple in the New Testament

This prestigious color was worn by wealthy figures in the New Testament. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man “dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day” (Luke 16:19).

Lydia of Thyatira is described in the Acts of the Apostles as being “a dealer in purple cloth,” a wealthy merchant who traded in purple dyes and fabrics for a living, most likely a family business (Acts 16:14). Lydia was originally from the city of Thyatira, an industrial city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) which was well-known for its dyeing facilities and had a central role in the purple cloth trade. She was a devout woman, a Gentile, who was praised by St. Paul and was his first convert in Europe. Lydia encouraged Paul and his companions to stay at her home for an extended period of time as her guests. She may also have allowed her home in Philippi to be used as a church by the local Christians. The Church considers her to be the patron saint of dye workers.

The Purple Cloak of Jesus

The most significant reference to royal purple is found in the Gospels of Mark and John. A group of Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing him in a purple cloak, placing a crown of thorns on his head, and saluting him as “King of the Jews” (Mark 15:16–20).

The point that is often missed is that the cloak they placed on him was purple in color. Biblical accounts don’t often include such descriptive details as the color of someone’s clothing. But there are certain occasions when they do, and they are included because they have a symbolic meaning attached to them.

The purple robe they dressed Jesus in symbolized his royalty. He was flogged and mocked as king (John 19:1–5). The scene is ironic, since what the soldiers said about Jesus and his identity was true, even though they did not realize it. Jesus was truly the King of the Jews and he was deserving of all their respect and homage.

But Jesus was a very different type of king than they could ever have imagined. He reigned not from a throne but from the cross. He was a suffering king whose kingship was made manifest in his suffering and death, followed by his Resurrection on the third day. Jesus’ kingship was unique: He ruled through his redemptive love on the cross.

Purple During Lent

From this dramatic event, royal purple gradually became associated with the Passion and death of Jesus. This color came to symbolize sacrifice and penance and was a call to feel sorrow for our sins and repent of our wrongdoings. Purple became the ideal color for the Lenten season. It reminds us of Jesus’ suffering and death and also brings to mind Jesus’ identity as the only true King of kings who reigns over each of our hearts.

As we see the use of this color in our churches this Lent, let us reflect on Jesus’ sufferings and prepare to welcome him into our hearts.