The Triduum: Variations in the Vestments and Their Colours in the Span of Fifteen Years

In our previous article on this subject we looked at the changes to the particular vestments and colours that are used during Palm Sunday in the short span of a fifteen year period. Today I wanted to turn our attention to the Sacred Triduum. Easter Sunday carries no marked differences in this regard and while there are a few minor differences that can be found in the liturgy of Holy Thursday, for all intents and purposes that liturgy has always been substantially 'white' in its liturgical nature. As such, our focus as far as the Triduum is concerned will be more specifically on Good Friday and the Easter Vigil where greater differences can indeed be observed. We begin our considerations with Good Friday. 

VESTMENTS OF GOOD FRIDAY PRIOR TO 1955:

Up until 1955, the vestments used for Good Friday were all black -- the Roman church's colour of mourning (Roman pontiffs excepted of course). The celebrant would wear a black chasuble and, as was the case for Palm Sunday and Lent generally, folded chasubles were used by the deacon and subdeacon (though on this day, and this day only, the colour of these folded chasubles are black); this was for the reason noted in our previous article, namely that the dalmatic/tunicle was considered symbolic of joy and thus out of alignment with the character of this liturgical day -- which, in this instance, is the most sombre day on the liturgical calendar. As such, the vestments used, both in form and colour, are intended to reflect the especially sombre, mournful character of the Good Friday liturgy, effectively putting us in the position of the apostles and disciples who, knowing not what was yet to come, had just witnessed the death and burial of Christ and were presently left in their grief. 

VESTMENTS OF GOOD FRIDAY AFTER THE 1955 HOLY WEEK CHANGES:

After the Holy Week reforms of 1955, like Palm Sunday, which saw a partial shift in liturgical colour, the colour for Good Friday remained black for part of the rite, however the ancient Roman use of folded chasubles was once again dispensed with, being replaced with a black dalmatic/tunicle -- much like what would be used at a requiem Mass.  Purple was also introduced.

VESTMENTS OF GOOD FRIDAY POST 1969, AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PAULINE RITE OR 'NOVUS ORDO MISSAE':

By 1969 and the creation of the Missal of Paul VI, the colour of Good Friday had been changed to red, coming primarily it is to be assumed in reference to the Passion of Christ (though it is worth noting here that in some usages red also has a mourning aspect, papal liturgies being one such example). The pattern here is the same as with Palm Sunday in the Pauline liturgy, whereby the main celebrant now wore a red chasuble, the deacon(s) would wear red dalmatic(s). It goes without saying that the penitential folded chasubles are also gone, given the particular liturgical colour in use here. 

VESTMENTS OF THE EASTER VIGIL PRIOR TO 1955:

The Easter Vigil, or Holy Saturday, marks the point where the Church traditionally transitioned from penitential to festal mode and this comes out rather well in the course of the liturgical celebration in the colour and type of the vestments that are used in the Roman rite up until 1955. 

Here again the liturgy begins in a penitential/preparatory tone, with the priest, deacon and subdeacon using purple cope and purple folded chasubles -- though it must be noted that the deacon would vest in a white dalmatic for the Lumen Christi before eventually again putting on the violet folded chasuble. 

After the completion of the singing of the Exsultet, the priest would remove his purple cope and don a purple chasuble, while the deacon would switch his white dalmatic for the purple folded chasuble. 

At the conclusion of the prophecies a procession will be made to the baptismal font/baptistery and, as such, the priest removes his violet chasuble at that time and puts on the purple cope once again (as copes are generally employed in the Roman rite for blessings and processions it should be remembered).  Here the celebrant will bless the baptismal waters. If baptisms are to take place, in keeping with the joyous nature of baptism, the celebrant will exchange his purple cope for a white one in order to perform the baptisms, changing back into purple vestments after the baptisms are complete. 

Finally at the time of the litanies, the purple vestments worn heretofore by all of the sacred ministers would give way to white vestments for the remainder of the Vigil Mass -- namely, white chasuble, dalmatic and tunicle. It is at that point too that if antependia are being used, the violet altar frontal would give way to a white one. 

Some might see these various vestment changes as needlessly complicated, but it is important to recall that they are tied to the vestments specific liturgical function (processions/blessings vs. other liturgical functions) and also point to the particular symbolism (i.e. penitential vs. festal) of the character of the liturgical action taking place at a given moment. It speaks to times when such function and symbolism were taken quite seriously. 

VESTMENTS OF THE EASTER VIGIL AFTER THE 1955 HOLY WEEK CHANGES:

After the Holy Week revisions of 1955, but prior to 1969, the vestments retained their colour scheme of purple and white, but as in the case of Palm Sunday, violet folded chasubles were now dispensed with and replaced by violet dalmatic and tunicle.  The purple chasuble that would be worn by the celebrant was also dispensed with entirely. 

As was the case prior to 1955, the general schema is retained whereby purple is used for the first part of the liturgy of Holy Saturday. The celebrant would wear purple cope, the subdeacon a purple tunicle, while the deacon would don a white dalmatic for the Lumen Christi and chanting of the Exsultet. After this he removes this white dalmatic and resumed wearing the purple dalmatic.  

At the renewal of the promises of Baptism, the celebrant changes his purple cope for a white one -- while the deacon and subdeacon remain in their violet dalmatic and tunicle. 

Finally, during the litanies, the priest, deacon and subdeacon would change into white chasuble, dalmatic and tunicle for the remainder of the Holy Saturday liturgy. 

VESTMENTS OF THE EASTER VIGIL POST 1969, AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PAULINE RITE OR 'NOVUS ORDO MISSAE':

Finally, we conclude with the vestments of Holy Saturday according to the Missal of Paul VI. In the Pauline rite of liturgy, purple vestments have now been dispensed with entirely. The cope is also not used but simply a white chasuble. Deacons, if present, wear white dalmatics, while the addition of concelebrants means they would vest in white chasubles as well. 

The most obvious difference here between these three manifestations on Holy Saturday is how prior to 1969 (and prior to 1955 particularly) there was a greater sense of the distinction between Holy Saturday and great feast of Easter Sunday proper; a distinction which historically connects it to the ancient  Christian concept of a "vigil" -- a concept which was rooted in the idea of it being a time of preparatory and penitential in character; preparation for the important feast to be celebrated on the next day following the vigil.