Note: For a more complete discussion of the origin and use of liturgical colors than is found in the simple treatment below, see Father Andrew MacAoidh Jergens' essay, Christian Time
The color of the outer background on the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio HOME PAGE, and the highlighting of the collect of the day (prayer used for principle services during a particular week) reflects the colors used in the liturgical seasons of the year. This was changed towards the end of Lent in 2002 to provide a brighter overall look, where previously the liturgical color of the season provided the background color for the entire home page, which some people found difficult to read during seasons with darker colors.
Liturgical colors in common use in the Anglican Communion derive from the medieval Roman rite. For example:
| Violet for Advent and Lent | White for Christmas and Easter | Red for Holy Week and the Day of Pentecost | Green for "Ordinary Time" |
In Anglican use, blue for Advent has recently been added resulting in:
| Blue for Advent | Violet for Lent | White for Christmas and Easter | Red for Holy Week and the Day of Pentecost | Green for "Ordinary Time" |
Other color schemes have evolved. For example, the Sarum Rite (Salisbury, England) used RED for Sundays between Pentecost and Advent. The Sarum Rite is the source for using BLUE during Advent.
Another English tradition used AZURE for the Sundays after Pentecost:
| Azure | (White for Comparison) | Gold |
The oldest known English color sequence is from the Diocese of Lichfield where the color for the Sundays after Pentecost was "acording to the will of the sacrist."
So, there you have a VERY SHORT (and incomplete) course on the use of liturgical colors.