Here's why hues like purple, pink, yellow and white are so traditional for the holiday.
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Once winter ends, inviting spring hues are all around us, from lively Easter eggs and floral arrangements to pastel-colored outfits that bring on the cheer. While you might be kickstarting your Easter celebration plans, take a moment to consider the meaning behind popular Easter colors. There's a special reason why shades like purple, white, red, pink and gold can be found everywhere during the holiday.
While it has a lot to do with tradition (think flowers with symbolic meanings, for instance), some are connected to liturgical colors that are found in priests' clothing along with the banners hanging around the church. The colors of the vestments have meaning during the year, but throughout lent and Easter, they signify various aspects of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. That said, before you reach for your Easter decorations (we recommend DIY crafts, by the way) or start settling on Easter brunch ideas, think about the true meaning behind Easter colors.
White
White is frequently associated with innocence and purity. However, the color is also affiliated with the Easter holiday. The Easter lily, believed to have grown in in the Garden of Gethsemane following Christ's crucifixion, is white. What's more, in the art world, white lilies often represent the Virgin Mary as a symbol of her purity.
Black
You're well aware that black is associated with mourning, but it's also common to see the hue pop up during Lent and Easter. It's viewed as a symbol of Good Friday, which recognizes Jesus' crucifixion, as well as Holy Saturday — the final day of Jesus' death.
Violet
Violet is a very common color during lent. It's worn by clergy throughout the season of lent as a symbol of penance, humility and melancholy. It serves as a reminder of Jesus's suffering.
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Yellow/Gold
The Easter season is filled with yellow: chicks, colored eggs, yellow flowers reborn in spring and, most importantly, sunshine. Yellow flowers are symbol of friendship. (So are yellow heart emojis.) And in a religious context, gold represents joy, victory and triumph, as in the resurrection's triumph over death.
Pink
As far as liturgical colors go, pink — which means joy — is worn only twice: on the third Sunday of advent, and the fourth Sunday of lent. And outside the church, sending someone a pink rose is also a happy message, symbolizing joy, happiness, grace and gentleness, according to Fifty Flowers.
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Red
Though red isn't used a lot for decorating during Easter, it still has a huge significance for the holiday: Red is worn on Palm Sunday as a symbol of the blood of Christ and His sacrifice for humanity.
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Green
Green is a symbol of eternal life, along with rebirth and renewal. It's a color and meaning most appropriate for spring, when everything starts blooming again.