The use of Liturgical
Seasons & Holy Days

By Rev. Rebecca

The liturgical calendar in the Old Testament included the setting apart of days and seasons of celebration, rest, and penance (see Leviticus 23-25). Some of these Holy Days and seasons include:

· Sabbath day of rest
· Passover
· Day of Atonement
· Festival of Unleavened Bread
· Festival of Booths
· Year of Jubilee.

Early Jewish Christians carried on this practice with Christian celebrations and commemorations beginning with Good Friday and Easter. The earliest mentions of Christian days of celebration are Acts 20:16 and 1 Corinthians 16:8 where the celebration of Pentecost is mentioned.

As time passed, Christians began adding other days and seasons to their calendar. Early on, Holy Week was introduced starting with Palm Sunday and continuing through the week leading up to Easter. Eventually there was an Easter season. The time before Holy Week became a season of penitence (seeking God’s forgiveness) called Lent which began on Ash Wednesday. On this day penitents would present themselves at the door of the Church to demonstrate their repentance from sin and would receive the cross of ashes on their foreheads as symbols of their repentance. Advent, which marks the beginning of the Christian calendar, became the time of preparation before Christmas. The Epiphany (Visitation of the Wise Men), the Ascension and many other days celebrating the life of our Lord were also added, including days to honor the apostles and other Biblical figures.

Eventually there became “Saint’s Days” which were days set aside to remember and honor the great heroes of the faith in the local towns and communities. We do a similar thing in the USA today on President’s Days and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is beneficial to recall and look back at the example of our Christian mothers and fathers. Holy Days give us the opportunity to stop and intentionally recall what God has done and what God may be calling us to do. The act of remembrance (anamnesis) is one God calls his people to do: “Remember the wonderful works He has done, his miracles, and the judgments He utters…Remember His covenant forever” (1 Chronicles 16:12 & 15).

Also associated with the seasonal calendar are specific colors.

· Red is symbolic of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the blood and passion of the martyrs. It is used at Pentecost, ordinations, Holy Week, and on feast days commemorating Christian martyrs.
· White is symbolic of Christ and his purity and resurrection. It is used on Holy Days and seasons commemorating the life of Jesus such as Easter and Epiphany but also at funerals to remind us of resurrection and that death is not the final word.
· Violet and blue are symbolic of somber preparation and penance. It is used during the seasons of Lent and Advent. Blue is also a Marian color.
· Green is the color used during “ordinary time,” or any time there are not special days, seasons, or occasions.
· Black is used on All Soul’s Day when we remember all the faithful departed, and can also be used on Good Friday to commemorate Jesus' death.