Advent, the season of waiting.
Advent is the first season of the church year: the four Sundays before Christmas, kept as a time of waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ.
The days ahead
- Advent SundaySunday 29 November 2026 Violet, purple or blue
- Gaudete SundaySunday 13 December 2026 Rose, where that is the practice; otherwise the Advent colour
- Christmas DayFriday 25 December 2026 White or gold
- Advent SundaySunday 28 November 2027 Violet, purple or blue
- Gaudete SundaySunday 12 December 2027 Rose, where that is the practice; otherwise the Advent colour
- Christmas DaySaturday 25 December 2027 White or gold
- The next dates appear here as the calendar turns.
What each tradition wears
- Roman Catholic
- Violet or purple. Rose may be worn on Gaudete Sunday, the third of Advent, where that is the practice.
- Episcopal
- Purple or violet; some churches use blue. Rose on Gaudete Sunday.
- Lutheran
- Blue or purple. Blue suggests hope, an association that began in Scandinavia.
- Methodist
- Purple, a colour of both penitence and royalty. Blue, a colour of hope, may also be used.
Choosing
If your church wears violet or purple, the purple stole carries a gold cross with a star, wheat and grapes, and the purple simple cross stole is the plainer choice. Both serve Lent as well.
If your church keeps a blue Advent, the Advent Light stole is printed in deep blue glass, with a star over Bethlehem.
Sources: The Roman Missal, General Instruction ch. VI, ยงยง346 to 347 (USCCB); Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, Liturgical Colors & Seasons; Scottish Episcopal Church calendar; Nebraska Synod (ELCA), The Colors of the Church Year; UMC.org, Colors, liturgical.
